[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by rex_varghese

...except the mention of the word 'safety' once in the ad...

At least its a start . But seriously, you do see safety being used as a selling point these days more than in the past. So things are changing for the better

[Dose]

Originally Posted by Rude7

A very nice article for starters.I am a new man to cars,shifting from bikes.This article has given ME a very good knowledge and I am sharing this with my cousins and other friends.Thanks a lot.

Body armour : Body Armour | Buy Now at ChainReactionCycles.com

do we get that india ?

Thanks, Rude7. Glad to be of service.
Here's an article about body armor:

Motorcycle Body Armor
by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 12/6/2005

Some months back, Motorcyclist magazine did a two part story on motorcycle helmets and how protective various helmets were, measuring impact forces transmitted to the head while comparing their findings against the rating standards such as DOT and Snell. If you haven’t read these articles, you really should. Of course, there’s a lot more of you exposed to possible injury than just your head and the January issue of Cycle World has an article on body armor, those products that attempt to give the rest of your body a better chance of surviving the impacts and abrasions common to motorcycle accidents.

As with a helmet, there is a dramatic difference in injury levels between those wearing some protection versus the shirt and bluejean crowd. Even regular denim wears through quickly in any slide and we know what’s left after that, goodbye skin, muscle and bone.

However not all areas of your body are equally vulnerable. Based on the work of Dr. Robert Woods, who analyzed clothing from numerous motorcycle accidents, the body has been divided into four zones. Zone 1 areas get high impact and abrasion, Zone 2 less and so on until Zone 4 which receives practically none. Protect the vulnerable areas and you’re far more likely to survive and lessen the injuries compared to the less protected rider.

Most vulnerable areas are no surprise: elbows, shoulders, knees and hips. Chest and back need both abrasion and impact protection and don’t forget your hands, knuckles need protection as do palms during any slide. The repeated findings in any test show heavy leather to be the most abrasion resistant material followed by the newer synthetics like Kevlar and then thin leather.

Unlike helmets, there are no U.S. standards and the European CE standards are open to some disagreement as to how they apply. And, as we saw in the helmet study, standards aren’t always the best way to judge protective qualities.

What’s a rider to do? Use your head. Realize, any protection is better than none but no protection can make you invincible. Unlike a car, you have no crush zone to absorb high impact and your deceleration will be extremely rapid if hitting a solid object, armor or no armor. Body armor can offer a lot of extra help in the sliding and tumbling accidents bikers may experience. It can help a lot in the bike to ground direction in lower speed accidents that are very common. If you insist on riding aggressively at high speeds, a full on racing suit like racers wear along with great physical conditioning gives you a fighting chance.

The same companies that make armor for the racers, offer it for the street, too. Also, Icon, a street rider oriented company, makes a nice line of body armor, including vest, elbow , knee/shin guards and shorts. All of these products are in addition to the jacket and pants you normally wear, many of which contain armor of their own.

Few of us will wear all of the protective products available but take a realistic approach and judge the type of riding you do. Some of you are far more likely to need this armor than others but even the less aggressive rider will wish for the best protection possible in that instant when they see a crash is inevitable. Body armor is more comfortable and high tech these days so don’t dismiss it entirely. There might be a day you’ll be very glad you have it.

Source: Motorcycle body armor

For India, the best store I have found on the net is this one although they do not seem to sell any helmets with Snell and USA DOT certification:

PlanetDSG : The only Indian store for Motorcycle Riding Gear..

And the best review I found for India helmets is:

Shootout - Helmet - AOL India Autos - For news, views and the best research tools for cars and bikes on Indian roads

[pedrolourenco]

Everyone thinks safety is just ABS, Airbags and other Gizmos. Everyone forgets that the car needs to be designed to be safe. A matchbox with all the safety features will never be a safe car. This is where the European cars score over the Japanese. Look at the accident pictures and you'll understand.

[msbehave]

This thread is just what I have been looking for. Thanks for all the information. It's good to have this know-how and statistics. I am always arguing with my friends on how a larger, better built car is safer on the highway than the smaller ones. [I usually take only my parent's Honda's on the highway versus my Swift]. Most people tend not to believe this and think I'm joking around.

Is crash test information on Indian cars readily available?
Thanks.

[Dose]

Originally Posted by NFS2024

We are still talking about a growing society and a developing nation which has openend its eyes to the world just about 2 decades ago. To expect all this to happen will take a lot of time and education.

I came to this conclusion only recently. If you look at a country such as the USA, they declared independence in 1776. Today, 233 years later, they have made some improvements. So, if we gained independence in 1947, hopefully we can expect the same improvements by 2180, give or take a few decades.

Originally Posted by agbenny

Which vehicle have all these safety factors? And What is the price for that?
It is not just the FE, Its the price. Then then awareness, non car savvy buyers do not know most of the features you have listed.

I do not know of any production vehicle in the world that complies with all ten points that I listed. But there are vehicles that come close.

Currently, in India, I think the safest cars are i20 Asta-O (0-10 lakhs), Jetta Comfortline 8-airbag version (10-20 lakhs), Passat Exclusive 8-airbag version (20-30 lakhs). I have not done much analysis on cars above 30 lakhs.

Originally Posted by Hashim

Some basic tips that I follow:

- Safety features in cars are just for unfortunate accidents which you cannot avoid,

False. Safety features are divided into active and passive categories. Active safety features like ABS, ESP, TPMS, etc. help avoid accidents. If you cannot avoid an accident, then passive safety features come into play.

Originally Posted by Gagan.js

Hey it all depends on how the car is built. Yes the boot might act as a crush zone but longer hood? And what about side impacts?

A lot of small cars have a better crash test rating than sedans so the myth is busted that sedans are safer.
Plus i20 offers side curtain airbags which our sedans don't so it's safer

Well said, Gagan.js. And not only does the i20 Asta-O offer curtain airbags but it also has three-point seatbelts for all five passengers, a luggage partition tray that keeps luggage from flying forward in an accident and hitting the passengers' heads, and excellent Euroncap crash tests relative to other cars available under ten lakhs.

Originally Posted by kpbhatt

I have a query open in what car section. After having driven in the US and have seen how the active and passive safety can be helpful in case of accidents, I wanted to buy a vehicle which would have all of them and would also be within my budget. Alas, no manufacturers had these things even as optional when i was planning to purchase one in 2006. I am still on the lookout for such a vehicle.

I responded to your query in your thread. We are fortunate that Hyundai offers the i20 Asta-O. Hopefully the upcoming i20 diesel will be offered with the same safety features.

Originally Posted by k2max6

My friend was thinking of buying an i10.
Just wanted to know which is safer i10 or santro.
And i10 not having the front impact beam.? Is it risky

Please elaborate on the i10's front impact beam. I have not heard anything about it. Please cite sources that prove this beam is missing.

Regarding i10 versus Santro/Atoz, the i10 Asta is safer.

Originally Posted by Volt

Another rant I have against manufacturers is this equation of luxury and safety. All the manufacturers (atleast in the B segment) offer safety equipment only in their top end versions. I may not want power windows and remote locking, but I certainly want ABS/ airbags. Or are customers like me too small in number and are best ignored?

I agree with you and think people like us are outnumbered. I cannot think of any manufacturer that offers top of the line safety with bottom of the line features. I remember Porsche offered the 996 GT3 RS clubsport package with optional a/c delete. But it still had power windows and locks.

[Dose]

Originally Posted by carboy

Crash ratings are relevant only when comparing cars in the same weight category.

Crashtest.com - vehicle size & weight matters

This weight rule only applies for frontal impact tests assuming you want to estimate what happens when two different cars in the same weight category hit each other in a frontal impact. If each car is from a different weight category, the crash results cannot be compared as it says on that website.

But side impact, rear impact, and roof strength results can be compared regardless of weight, unless I am mistaken, because the car is standing still and is hit with a battering ram.

Originally Posted by rex_varghese

Found this very interesting! There is a full page Fiat Punto ad in Times of India today. There is a good list of puny little features like Intregrated MP3/USB, Foldable Remote, Sporty Interiors, etc. But, not a single mention of any safety features the car has, except the mention of the word 'safety' once in the ad.

I remember years ago when the Fiat Siena was one of the first cars in India which offered optional ABS on a car below ten lakhs. Unfortunately, since then, I cannot recall any outstanding safety feature that they have offered to Indians.

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

A matchbox with all the safety features will never be a safe car. This is where the European cars score over the Japanese. Look at the accident pictures and you'll understand.

pedrolourenco, please do not paint certain types of cars with one broad brush stroke like aaggoswami does in the following thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1336833

Use words like "never" carefully and please dispense with European vs. Japanese stereotypes. Drawing firm conclusions just from looking at accident pictures is unscientific and bad form for Teambhp members. Unless I am mistaken, there are few absolutes in life. Smaller cars do exist in this world that are safer than bigger cars, relatively speaking. Euro cars do not always score over the Jap cars. Look at the IIHS and EuroNCAP tests and you'll understand, hopefully.

[Dose]

Originally Posted by msbehave

This thread is just what I have been looking for. Thanks for all the information. It's good to have this know-how and statistics. I am always arguing with my friends on how a larger, better built car is safer on the highway than the smaller ones. [I usually take only my parent's Honda's on the highway versus my Swift]. Most people tend not to believe this and think I'm joking around.

Is crash test information on Indian cars readily available?
Thanks.

I suggest you leave out the part about "larger" when arguing with friends. Larger does not always equal safer. But you are absolutely right about a better built car that has proven itself in crash tests. And also let me remind you that people die in accidents in the city, usually at night due to low traffic, either because they lose control or because someone is driving on the wrong side of the road.

Crash test info. on many Indian version cars is not readily available. It would be nice if someday India has an Indian NCAP or Indian IIHS that is the same or better than the Euroncap or IIHS. Till then, we should try to only purchase cars that have been tested and have received good results abroad so that we have some idea of their crash worthiness.

[Dose]

Originally Posted by dushmish

Hi Dose! That was some very useful information.

dushmish, if you are interested in more safety information, here's a link to another Teambhp thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...-features.html

[Dose]

Originally Posted by Dose

So, what should we consider before purchasing new/used auto's?

Seatbelts, Head restraints, Airbags, ABS, ESP, TPMS, Motion-activated central locking, Rollover sensor, Child Seats, and most important of all -- Independent Crash Test Results.

I wish to add DRL's (Daytime Running Lights) as another feature to consider before purchasing an auto:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1522908