Mercedes S-Class Accident : Owner dead, Airbag doesn't activate and Court orders FIR

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by black12rr

I disagree on this .

Sir , they why buy it in the first place ?
Why spend 50 + lakhs of rupees for car like that with all the features and safety ?
Why buy with ABS and airbags ?
Why install sticky tires and wide tires ?
Why buy with ESP and seat belts ?

Why the pain of all the above , because you know you WILL drive safe ALWAYS .

We invest in a car with all the above to prevent exactly this kind off situation .

Buying, owning and driving a 50 lakh + car with ABS, ESP, Airbags and other assorted safety-features / equipment, does not give one the right or licence to challenge the laws of the road, indulge in speeding and drive dangerously just because the car has required safety features to deal with it. Rather, one ought not to be driving recklessly.

Remember, this is not an adventure sport. Cars are not designed to meet with accidents. They're designed to keep you safe, sure. But staying safe is all up to the driver.

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Buying, owning and driving a 50 lakh + car with ABS, ESP, Airbags and other assorted safety-features / equipment, does not give one the right or licence to challenge the laws of the road, indulge in speeding and drive dangerously just because the car has required safety features to deal with it. Rather, one ought not to be driving recklessly.

Remember, this is not an adventure sport. Cars are not designed to meet with accidents. They're designed to keep you safe, sure. But staying safe is all up to the driver.

You are putting words in my mouth .I did not say you get to license to drive rash .

I ment under ideal/normal conditions ,if you happen to be on wrong side ,you will be protected . More so ,even if you are driving correctly , if some moron hits you , you still need the above .

[suhaas307]

^^ Woah, hold on. I'm neither implying that you said that and nor did I infer it in that way.

I'm just putting it on the table, that safety-features are secondary. While they are important, they're not going to be of any help if the car is driven negligently. It all boils down to the fact that one needs to respect the car and its abilities.

The safety features ought to work, yes. They're expected to function well. But blaming them entirely for not working is just not done given the circumstances.

[Sprucegoose]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

^^ Woah, hold on. I'm neither implying that you said that and nor did I infer it in that way.

I'm just putting it on the table, that safety-features are secondary. While they are important, they're not going to be of any help if the car is driven negligently. It all boils down to the fact that one needs to respect the car and its abilities.

The safety features ought to work, yes. They're expected to function well. But blaming them entirely for not working is just not done given the circumstances.

Besides i'm sure 90% of the people going in for these high end cars will gladly avoid getting the safety features if a decent discount scheme was available.

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

^^ Woah, hold on. I'm neither implying that you said that and nor did I infer it in that way.

I'm just putting it on the table, that safety-features are secondary. While they are important, they're not going to be of any help if the car is driven negligently. It all boils down to the fact that one needs to respect the car and its abilities.

The safety features ought to work, yes. They're expected to function well. But blaming them entirely for not working is just not done given the circumstances.

Yes sir ,agree we need to drive carefully .

BUT ,sometimes/cases we need this not because of OUR mistake , but if SOMEONE else makes a mistake .(t bones you, read ends you ,...)

[ksakotai]

I have been following with interest the original post and the interesting thoughts it has provoked among the rest of us. We will not know for sure what EXACTLY went wrong. However, there are a few things which are abundantly clear

1. Speed was a factor
2. Excessive speed caused delay in reaction time
3. Car was repaired - possibility that it was not tested adequately, leading to some safety features not working optimally
4. Fault of the truck driver - whether complete or partial we dont know
5. Inadequate (or non-existent) basic medical knowledge to handle immediate post-accident medical assistance among local public. Cases of instant death due to accidents occur with smaller probability (though non-zero). Mostly if immediate, prompt medical care is given the injured has a high chance of sustaining life till he/she reaches the hospital. I still see bystanders (and para medical staff) lift injured person by the hand and legs which is completely wrong. Correct way is to lift under the armpits and under the knee.

Following are my thoughts going beyond this tragic incident -

IMHO if anything could have saved the young person's life it is if he would have been driving defensively. In my 25 years of driving in the US, Europe and India I have been a few times in situations where I could "see my life flash before my eyes" (that is for another thread). But in EVERY situation I can say if I had been driving defensively I would not have been in that situation.

We should also be aware of basic first aid procedures for situations that might occur while driving - like how to stop blood loss, how to make a torquinet out commonly available items, how to position an injured person, etc. Not only do we help ourselves and our loved ones, but we can also help others and fulfill our basic responsibilities. I would invite mods to start a thread on this subject.

While driving on open roads, we are often seduced by the lure of adventure and the "wind in our hair". It just takes a split second for tragedy to happen. Let us hope we temper our enthusiasm for speed by driving responsibly because not only do we owe that to our own families but also for the families of others.

- Krishnan

[999]

Holy cow. The cama motor letter have some details on the airbag deployment failure. If they are to be believed, Mercedes need to be sued. read page 2 of the pdf file

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by 999

Holy cow. The cama motor letter have some details on the airbag deployment failure. If they are to be believed, Mercedes need to be sued. read page 2 of the pdf file

Disturbing allegations indeed! If Mercedez has been secretly carrying out airbag replacement on a few VIN series, then they deserve to be prosecuted.

[JoseVijay]

Originally Posted by markmytravel

My Brother in Law met with a fatal accident on the Jaipur-Agra highway. Seems like the driver side airbag on his mercedes did not fire. It feels like Mercedes has started taking Indian customers for granted and is just believing their brand name is enough to sell numbers. We know our BIL cannot come back but atleast others can be made aware so that precious life can be saved.

RIP Nirmal ... We will miss you.

Reviving an old thread as I am curious to know the turn of events that happened after the FIR was filed by the police. What is the status of the case? Any compensation received from Mercedes Benz India? Since an FIR has been filed by police, what was the judgement given by the court?