[psn]

This rule just shows how little the government has understanding of road safety and how the priorities are misplaced.
Maybe it was strong lobbying by a company, which manufactures these sensors and is an OEM supplier.
The government needs to get over this half-hearted, half baked solutions towards road safety, wake up, see the mayhem that is going on the roads, hold the bull by the horn and find tangible and implementable solutions if they want to make Indian roads safer.
Consistently Indian roads are ranked amongst the most unsafe roads in the world, and with the data of number of deaths per year on Indian roads is to go by, it is high time the government makes road safety a priority.

[One:1]

They've got to be kidding right!? Out of all things safety related that the government can implement, they chose this!? i mean come on people! Its a feature for god sakes! we don't drive around backwards all the time do we? yes i do understand the necessity for this for detecting pets and kids that will be in a blind spot however, crash structures, airbags, 3 point harnesses, better headlights, and whatnot, they chose this .

[su1978]

Originally Posted by saket77

I frequently travel by the NH-2 and Ranchi-Hazaribagh Expressway where speeds are 90+. I believe many expressways in India have a speed limit of over 90 KMPH. So, will the continuous chime keep irritating and diverting my attention, supressing other outside sounds like horns of other vehicles, etc?
Also, a lot of discussion on this thread has been on ABS and airbags; no doubt they are important safety features that should have been mandatory by now, but that is like taking the easy way out. The system should improve from ground level- which includes driver's training and licensing process. Why the Govt officials are overlooking it? Because it is tough to address it? RTO is hand in glove with agents who can provide driving licence to even those who have never been in a car, leave alone driving it and I am not joking, you guys know.
Passenger buses stop on highways at their whims and fancies to pick up and drop passengers, without proper turn signals, without hazard lights, without brake lamps and in any lane. Which safety feature can address it? The other dangerous things that I see on highways are passenger cars which are driven by owners themselves in over enthusiastic manner and then auto-rickshaws, tractors, etc coming from wrong side, etc. Solution- Only proper driver training and strict enforcement of existing traffic rules and law. Why this is being overlooked?

I am all in for anything that goes to make our road travel safe, but the biggest thing is not chimes, sensors or even airbags. It is time that we address the issues raised above so that more than surviving after an accident, we focus on avoiding such instances altogether.

Regards,
Saket.

Am 100% in sync with what you said saket. The prime issue is that the normal public is not at all aware about any basic road manners. Let alone general public, an average indian driver does not know about any rules other than green light means go fast, yellow means go faster and Redlight means go fast and furious. Have we ever noticed an auto rickshaw looking for a passenger? Or have we ever noticed a two-wheeler rider feeling like a Formula 1 racer on road? Or even a normal cyclist talking on a mobile and giving a hard glance at you if you honk and ask him to give way? If your answer to all these queries is same as what i am thinking, then we are on same page. I have come across instances in which many people sitting next to me have mocked me because i follow speed limits. Or even when i am stationary at a red light, i find some stupid non-sense person continuously honking and forcing me to jump the redlight. If i do not do so, then i am given some adjectives as soon as the other person overtakes me. What are the plans of government to control such menaces? i am sure nothing. Just an eyewash.

In such a country, i am not sure how much and to what extent these sensors or cameras will help. In a country where the first basic safety features (ABS+Airbags) are treated as a luxury what difference will these useless sensors make. Somehow i have a feeling that this is again some strong lobbying by the country's largest car maker who will use this opportunity and will say that their cars are safest for pedestrians and they are morally responsible towards society.

[ais]

Ridiculous! Next they may mandate vehicle sensors on children and pedestrians.

Forward facing dashboard, and rear cameras in every four (and more) wheeler is what should be made compulsory. If found missing or malfunctioning in the event of an accident , the driver of the vehicle should have the onus on him to prove he was not responsible for the accident.

Process of grant of DL should be as strict as in developed countries. As in California. Random checks on those with a DL should be made by a team of experts constituted by the ministry, to identify drivers lacking in driving skills, knowledge of rules etc. When a driver fails the scrutiny, the issuing authority should be held accountable.

Where most two wheeler riders don't even strap their helmets, what hope do we have of any serious steps by the government to set things right? In any case, some of my friends and I will be mobilising shortly to start campains and communication with concerned authorities and MRTH- a classmate of ours was killed by a car when on his daily cycling routine in Panchkula.

I will be collating suggestions from threads like these on TeamBHP. In case there are any members who can influence this movement, please let me know in reply to this post or PM.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by psn

This rule just shows how little the government has understanding of road safety and how the priorities are misplaced......
The government needs to get over this half-hearted, half baked solutions towards road safety, wake up, see the mayhem that is going on the roads, hold the bull by the horn and find tangible and implementable solutions if they want to make Indian roads safer.
Consistently Indian roads are ranked amongst the most unsafe roads in the world, and with the data of number of deaths per year on Indian roads is to go by, it is high time the government makes road safety a priority.

See who decides. A neta who may not even be Class X or a babu with an MA in Ancient History or Philosophy. There are quite a few transportation engineers around but they are seldom or even consulted. You talk to some cronies at best and decide.

[landcruiser123]

I can make a crude guess that number of accidents happening when the car is moving forward is over 1000x more than accidents happening while reversing. (Notice I said car)

A good driver can still reverse the car with the help of mirrors.

While I'm not against implementing these smaller safety features, I think launching BNVSAP is more important. ABS and airbags should be made compulsory at the earliest.

Also, CVs should have a beep while reversing to alert all those around.

[Peterf]

Well I may be in a minority here but I think at least it is a step in the right direction. In my colony many construction workers live in their temporary brick huts and I have seen many times their children sitting behind the car playing games like hide n seek etc. And if somebody doesn't notice he can easily hit them while reversing.
I agree that the government should have made abs airbags mandatory but we all know how strong the automobile lobby is. I can imagine in the meeting they would have agreed for the cheapest option.
Hopefully this will lead to other important things like (ABS/airbags) being made compulsory in cars.
On a side note it is still shameful that we as a society would need a mandatory clause by the government to buy cars with abs and airbags (at least where they are provided as an option).

[invidious]

I did have a close call just yesterday when a kid who was part of the Ganpati visarjan or perhaps come to see it - just streaked across my car at full speed. I slammed my brakes and must have missed hitting him by about 8-10 inches. I was about to give him a earful; then noticed that his parents on the other side of the road instead of berating him were laughing at the near miss. I did not see the humor and it can be exasperating. We have enough laws in place - the problem has been their implementation. I don't mind this new law with sensors - god knows there are enough crazy drivers on the road. But till there is a change at the societal level; I am afraid nothing much is going to change. Swachh Bharat has not stopped people from spitting betelnut on the roads, has it?

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by invidious

We have enough laws in place - the problem has been their implementation. I don't mind this new law with sensors - god knows there are enough crazy drivers on the road.

Swachh Bharat has not stopped people from spitting betelnut on the roads, has it?

Well exactly, the Government wants to twist arms of manufacturers and making them give parking sensors, which still entertaining those idiots on the roads who do not use seat-belts available in the car, or wear helmets while on two wheels.

We still see people driving on the wrong side even on highways.
We keep seeing three or more people on bikes with none of them wearing a helmet - but wearing earphones without fail.
We still see no action taken to close those pot holes which keep threatening lives.
No one cared to keep livestock off the highways.
Government never really took a step to add under run bars on trucks - we all know how many lives could have been saved with this simple action!
People letting children sit on the front seats, on laps of other people hasn't stopped...
And Government thinks rear parking sensors will 'improve safety'

- forget people not spitting on the road, I am yet to see Government clean the roads properly, but still we pay Swach Bharat cess, with most services we avail.

[manojraja]

Unbelievable! Who in the bureaucracy comes up with such ideas! Parking sensors would be the last thing on the required safety aspects necessary for a car.

As long as government doesn't take a strong stand on safety, car companies are going to take us for a ride.

[King_pin09]

Well going by the way the present government is functioning with "compulsory yes" and "compulsory no" policy (i.e., mandatory and ban policy), this new rule even if implemented would not come as a surprise to me.

The ORVMS and IRVMS provide adequate rear view of the parking spot so that the driver can move into it precisely. The driver builds up the approach path in his mind and marks up the probable areas which can foul with the path. He concentrates on the mirror which gives best view of any impediment and proceeds accordingly. Most accidents occur when a pedestrian / kid attempts to cross the path of a reversing car without giving adequate time for the driver to see him, include him in the list of impediments and react accordingly. We all know, cameras can never replace eyes. The pedestrian, is in fact in a much better position to see the surroundings along with the reversing car. The onus should ideally be on the pedestrian to move out of the way and avert the accident.

In my opinion passing the brunt on to the car owners alone by mandatorily asking them to fit cameras and sensors would only encourage pedestrians to become more irresponsible. They would freely cross paths with reversing cars and then in case of any hit/ collision, the driver will be held at entire responsibility by saying “you have the camera and could have seen me coming, you should have stopped”.

I feel the government should rather concentrate on implementing the existing rules effectively rather than passing new cost burden on car owners by introducing new rules.

Originally Posted by One:1

They've got to be kidding right!? Out of all things safety related that the government can implement, they chose this!? i mean come on people! Its a feature for god sakes! we don't drive around backwards all the time do we? yes i do understand the necessity for this for detecting pets and kids that will be in a blind spot however, crash structures, airbags, 3 point harnesses, better headlights, and whatnot, they chose this .

Sir, do not get surprised if the Government in its next release of traffic rules makes dummy shark fin antenna as a mandatory safety feature to be installed on all cars.

[rselva]

I wonder if the Govt is copy pasting the rules of Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which issued a final rule (way back in 2014) requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. Apparently NHTS felt " This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents "

[ais]

In that case I wish the govt stumbles upon the California driving handbook!

[BeantownThinker]

I guess whoever came up with this idea has most certainly got his priorities mixed up. While the intention might be noble, there are a lot many other things that the Government should fix before making reverse sensors mandatory.

Don't they have any experts on board who can advise them what measures will create what impact?

[Queryanalyzer]

Originally Posted by rselva

I wonder if the Govt is copy pasting the rules of Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which issued a final rule (way back in 2014) requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by May 2018. Apparently NHTS felt " This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents "

I feel the same way. Its one of those copycat ideas, "Hey, the U.S. is doing it lets do it as well!". Well they have had driver and passenger airbags since the mid-90s why aren't we copying that?

In my opinion Alto defines Indian car culture. A product which boasts left & right ORVM as a feature. What I really want to see is Alto's sales split between the O-variant (with driver airbag) and the regular trim.

PS: I don't have anything against Alto. I even want to buy a used 800 for safe keeping.