[Thad E Ginathom]

the Front Passenger Airbag can be disengaged, right?

Indeed it can, but...

That just keeps us in the dark ages of kids smashing their faces against windscreens. Or roads, after leaving the car through the windscreen.

More... how many would understand why and how to disengage it. Manual reading is not a popular pass-time.

And... how many people would permanently disengage it because they think that hitting a windscreen at 40kph doesn't hurt and, hey, it's expensive to replace?

Which makes me think... What is the insurance companies' attitude to airbags on the repair bill? It is not metal, or glass, and could easily come under those ridiculous ideas that Indian insurers have come up with for reducing their bills. It is very important that insurance companies should actively promote safety by fully covering items such as this, and, if air bags are mandated by law, it should also be mandated that insurance companies must pay the bill.


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[SILVERWOOD]

Dear Greenhorn,

This trend is going to change very soon with the launch of Nissan Micra which offers ABS as standard for a basic model of 3.75 Lakhs as well.

[NVI2112]

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

Dear Greenhorn,

This trend is going to change very soon with the launch of Nissan Micra which offers ABS as standard for a basic model of 3.75 Lakhs as well.

That is a surprise! the ad more of focus on the Key less entry and push button to start the car!!

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

Dear Greenhorn,

This trend is going to change very soon with the launch of Nissan Micra which offers ABS as standard for a basic model of 3.75 Lakhs as well.

I'm positively surprised that nobody mentions the fact that the lower two variants have driver side airbag ONLY. I agree that something is better than nothing, but they care only for the driver???
(http://nissanmicra.co.in/brochure.pdf)

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by GTO

The real concern is over hatchbacks & entry-level sedans.

And thats scary.

Someone said, its the consumers that should be demanding or creating demand of ABS and other features. Then will the manufacturers pay heed.

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

I'm positively surprised that nobody mentions the fact that the lower two variants have driver side airbag ONLY. I agree that something is better than nothing, but they care only for the driver???
(http://nissanmicra.co.in/brochure.pdf)

All good things come in small packages. Kudos to Nissan for taking the initiative and introducing ABS(drivers side) in the lower variants as standard.

[agbenny]

In India lives have different cost :-), if you pay more for the safety features you get Airbags etc. Car manufacturers things safety of their customers who pay less to them need not be taken care.

If the seat belt is mandatory in all the cars regardless of the variants - other features like ABS, Airbags should also be forced to be made as mandatory.

Instead they can change the Tyre profile, seat quality, electronics etc in the higher variant to keep different prices for customers who are ready to pay a premium.

[sarmarishi]

Yes. Kudos to Nissan. But my big concern is whether they will also educate the buyers that their car has airbags and that 'NOT' wearing a seat-belt will be fatal esp for people who make thier kids sit on their laps for a joyride! Although OT guys like them really need a

When you have people like them on the roads or people who happily let kids sit/stand in the front, do you think making airbags mandatory will be of any use?

[Arkin evoisrevo]

Originally Posted by sarmarishi

Yes. Kudos to Nissan. But my big concern is whether they will also educate the buyers that their car has airbags and that 'NOT' wearing a seat-belt will be fatal esp for people who make thier kids sit on their laps for a joyride! Although OT guys like them really need a

When you have people like them on the roads or people who happily let kids sit/stand in the front, do you think making airbags mandatory will be of any use?

+1 to that. A pat on the back to Nissan. This is the 2nd hatch after the Fabia to come with an Airbag as standard.
Yeah, and even I wonder what use will Airbags be with people using their cars for joyrides. I say, the entire system of mandate needs an overhaul.
I'll try and get my dad to file a PIL with the supreme court.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by sarmarishi

When you have people like them on the roads or people who happily let kids sit/stand in the front, do you think making airbags mandatory will be of any use?

On the contrary, I think such cars could be very dangerous here.

[aaggoswami]

1) IMO, this ABS+Airbags on top end only ( trick ) is to earn money. Earlier in many of my posts I had posted that ABS and Airbags must be made optional on lower end variants, irrespective of car. If a car is coming with ABS + Airbags as standard equipment then its good, no change required. But for cars in lower segment specially for cars below Rs. 5 lakh, ABS and Airbags must be available as an option.

2) An example. A customer wants to buy Innova with air bags and ABS, then has has to buy higher variant. Now what if customer is ready to compromise on alloy wheels, audio system and leather seats ? He is ready to let go these things for ABS+Airbags, but is it possible.

We desperately need some rule making it compulsory to offer ABS and airbags as an option in cars that do not have them as standard equipment.

[mgh]

As long as there is no law making ABS and airbags mandatory, as in many other countries, we will not get all cars with these safety features. Seat belts came after they were made compulsory by law. If it is important to you (it should be), buy a car within your budget that has them. If enough people say that they are a must , and prove it with their wallets, manufacturers will start to provide them.

[karmania]

Agree with @aagoswami... there should be an option atleast for the consumers who would like to pay for the air bags, but may not really want to avail all the luxury high end features like alloy wheels, in car entertainment system, high end speakers, etc...

But bottom line is that there should be a government regulation to make passenger safety mandatory for all vehicles driven in India... this will ensure that the manufacturers try to reduce the cost of including air bags in their respective models for all variants... A lot of people make a quick judgment about saving money and being confident that they will drive save to avoid accidents... they don't realize that the only reason why they are called accidents is that they don't have any control over all the things that happen around them on the road.

[rohanjf]

And the government is solving the wrong problem. They are installing more speed-breakers and imposing absurd speed limits rather than building better roads and increasing vehicle safety.
By the way, do passenger cars have different safety norms compared to commercial vehicles such as trucks? Do our buses/trucks (built by Indian manufacturers) come with seat belts?

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

And the government is solving the wrong problem. They are installing more speed-breakers and imposing absurd speed limits rather than building better roads and increasing vehicle safety.
By the way, do passenger cars have different safety norms compared to commercial vehicles such as trucks? Do our buses/trucks (built by Indian manufacturers) come with seat belts?

Don't know about trucks, but new buses under JNNURM do come with bucket seats and seat belts for all (driver + passengers). Its a different story that no one bothers to put them on.