[virgopal]

Delhi Man On Way To Airport For Europe Trip Charred To Death In His Car

https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/delh...is-car-2076061
Report says: "During preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the automatic system of the car got locked due to fire, hence Gupta could not get out of the vehicle, a senior police officer said"

[Arwin07]

Originally Posted by virgopal

[
Report says: "During preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the automatic system of the car got locked due to fire, hence Gupta could not get out of the vehicle, a senior police officer said"

RIP.

I do not have a car yet. When I buy one, my first purchase will be Dashcams (front & rear), Fire extinguishers- 2 and Seatbelt cutter+ glass breaker tool.

A few useful threads from our forum that deal with this topic:
1. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ne-safety.html (Electric locking & window mechanism. Boon or bane for Safety?)

2. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...revention.html (A Definitive Approach to Vehicle Fires & their Prevention)

3. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...cape-fire.html (Kubotan: The $5 safety device that can break a car window & help you escape a fire)

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Arwin07

I do not have a car yet. When I buy one, my first purchase will be Dashcams (front & rear), Fire extinguishers- 2 and Seatbelt cutter+ glass breaker tool.

Does this forum make a person pessimistic? Well, I guess so. And not a bad thing if that makes us safer

[aparth]

The Honda City had jumped a red light at a busy intersection at a high speed and got t boned by a Corolla Altis. It spun out of control as the Honda City ended up brushing past the Corollas front.

Both the airbags were deployed in the Altis as well as the City. The City has suffered extensive damage to the underbody as well as the engine bay. The Altis driver escaped unhurt however the City driver has a hairline fracture on his arm because of the airbags deploying on his hand while it was at the wheel.

He was buckled up so he has escaped with minor injuries. Just another incidence of how seatbelts can really reduce the intensity of injuries to the people inside the car.

[keith2524]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Does this forum make a person pessimistic? Well, I guess so. And not a bad thing if that makes us safer

Being safety conscious is not pessimism. Indians typically suffer from Optimism Bias. Safety takes a back seat. A god takes the front seat. The dashboard rather.

[GTO]

Thanks to a Team-BHP Fan (who prefers to stay anonymous) for sending these pics in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing them with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

I'd like to share a car accident that I was part of last year. There were 5 of us in this Hyundai Creta and ALL miraculously escaped.

[keith2524]

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

Even I got the same feeling that the Eco-sport driver appears disabled (handicapped). But if this is the case, is he allowed to drive ? I think physical fitness to operate the controls of a vehicle is must to obtain DL.

But then we all know how a DL can be obtained in India.

More so he is in shock. And appears he has injured his arms due to airbag deployment. Usually people end up with chemical burns, broken fingers and bruises on the upper body. I have witnessed this and have been a licensed first aider on the scene overseas. Unfortunately due to lack of education and Optimism Complex most Indian drivers are not aware or care not to learn how a car behaves in a collision. What happens when the airbags deploy? How to free oneself from the car after a crash? All these points were covered in basic theory and simulation classes in driving license courses as long back as early 2000s when I obtained my driving license abroad.

Also as a practicing engineer who has specifically worked on fuel loading station design in the past (2 countries) I notice that this particular petrol pump has no bollards installed to protect critical equipment from vehicle impact. This is not in compliance with NFPA, API and possibly local road design codes (not aware on Indian codes). In Australia for example one would provide concrete filled metal bollards designed to withstand the impact of a fully loaded A-double tanker (road train) approaching at 15km/h. The bollards would be placed in front on the fuel bowsers / pumps. Another set of barricades, W-beam type crash barriers would separate the petrol pump area from the main road. I’m sure Indian codes and standards cover these aspects but no one follows. Very fortunate in this case the petrol pump did not go up exploding like a bomb.

If you find yourself around a similar incident, please abandon your vehicle and RUN. Do not hang around near a damaged petrol pump. Go to a safe distance and call the fire department and ambulance. Or the emergency helpline number if you have one.

[Satishtv]

Originally Posted by aparth

Both the airbags were deployed in the Altis as well as the City. The City has suffered extensive damage to the underbody as well as the engine bay. The Altis driver escaped unhurt however the City driver has a hairline fracture on his arm because of the airbags deploying on his hand while it was at the wheel

Most drivers do not know that they should steer the car by holding the bottom half of the steering wheel and not the top half. By holding the bottom half, the airbag deployment will not hurt your hands. But, if you hold the top half of the steering wheel, when the air bag deploys, your hands will come off the steering wheel and hit your head with great force.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by keith2524

Being safety conscious is not pessimism. Indians typically suffer from Optimism Bias. Safety takes a back seat. A god takes the front seat. The dashboard rather.

"Nothing will happen."

And that's true... until the day it does.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

I hate to generalize but you are right and almost without exception, they are absolute morons. They think that they're actually good drivers. Absolute nutcases.

Actually the YouTube keyboard warriors have that tone.
You can search up any video of the rash bus driving in Kerala and in the comments section you will find a couple of idiots defending the drivers and applauding them for their "skills".
GOD , when will the day come when these killers have their licences terminated and are locked up behind bars for good.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Unless there is some kind of internal roll bar protection, I don't see a couple of inches of sheet metal supporting the weight of an upside-down car.

A safe car should be able to bear its own weight (plus a generous additional margin) while on its roof without cabin intrusion. See for instance the car below - this is normal behaviour.

And this 80s Saab also behaves correctly. Any modern car should easily match it. The face that a 2019 Swift cannot is testament to its poor build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Z284Fv0cc

[Thad E Ginathom]

"nobody could ever work out why a Saab cost so much... until they crashed it."

I like that! And unlike its disappointing BMW cousin, I do expect modern foreign cars to have better roll protection.

A Swift? Mine fell apart without crashing it.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

A safe car should be able to bear its own weight (plus a generous additional margin) while on its roof without cabin intrusion. See for instance the car below - this is normal behaviour.

Correct!

IIHS Roof Test:
A good rating requires a strength-to-weight ratio of at least 4. In other words, the roof must withstand a force of at least 4 times the vehicle's weight before the plate crushes the roof by 5 inches. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. For a marginal rating, it is 2.5. Anything lower than that is poor


https://www.iihs.org/ratings/about-o...-strength-test

[haldar_siliguri]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I like that! And unlike its disappointing BMW cousin, I do expect modern foreign cars to have better roll protection.

Yes in the 80s that was the case. BMWs bettered the pillar strength of their cars much more over the following decades. So did all the other German companies.

For e.g. I have seen cars lying in BMW workshops that have have had crashes involving multiple flips/rollovers at speeds in excess of 120kph (as explained to me by the mechanics). In each of these cases, most of vehicle structure had been mangled save for the pillars, which surprisingly appeared to have been completely unaffected. The A and C pillars in these sedans (3 and 5 series) seemed to be least affected. Safety has indeed come a long way for many car manufacturers.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by Satishtv

Most drivers do not know that they should steer the car by holding the bottom half of the steering wheel and not the top half. By holding the bottom half, the airbag deployment will not hurt your hands. But, if you hold the top half of the steering wheel, when the air bag deploys, your hands will come off the steering wheel and hit your head with great force.

In my EcoSport, there are grooves on the steering wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock positions for the thumb and rest of the fingers curl behind the steering wheel. When you say bottom half, do you mean to hold the wheel even lower than 9 and 3 o'clock positions?