[t2k4]

Here's an example of what one of my relatives has chosen as a way around the constant beeping that ensues if you're not buckled up past 20 km/h or the initial time out. He went to a car graveyard, cut the buckle from a seat belt leaving the fabric behind, and now has the buckle plugged into the seat belt lock to trick the mechanism into believing that the driver has the safety belt on.

You can't impart common sense to anyone whether it's automotive safety or life in general. People think they're above law and death, and rules don't apply to them. They'd rather splurge on accessories and electronic gadgets than invest in a car that has more airbags or buying a decent safety helmet if riding a bike or scooter.

[centaur]

Originally Posted by t2k4

He went to a car graveyard, cut the buckle from a seat belt leaving the fabric behind, and now has the buckle plugged into the seat belt lock to trick the mechanism into believing that the driver has the safety belt on.

Cab drivers in our office have a similar trick/workaround for their seat belts. The seat belt buckle is always plugged in irrespective of the cab being driven or stopped, the driver being in the seat or not. So when they sit in the seat, the seat belt is still buckled and the strap is behind them.

Now, they always start driving without the belts and as soon as they reach a junction where they know there could be cops, they just pull over the belt which crosses over the chest to give an impression that they have worn the seat belt while the part of the belt which runs around the waist is actually not put and is still behind their back. While it looks very innovative, it absolutely provides no protection because that part of the seat belt doesnt really provide much tension without the waist belt. Talk about jugaads

[NPV]

Originally Posted by centaur

Cab drivers in our office have a similar trick/workaround for their seat belts. The seat belt buckle is always plugged in irrespective of the cab being drive or stopped, the driver being in the seat or not. So when they sit in the seat, the seat belt is still buckled and the strap is behind them.

You and your colleagues as employees of the organization using such cabs should bring this up to your management, make them aware of the dangers and stop the practice, seems like a no-brainer

[centaur]

Well I moved out of that project years back and then really did not bother much. Not sure how the situation is now. What you say was already done by a few employees including complaining about rash driving and jumping of traffic lights

That brings me to another question, may be OT. Many of these cabs and company buses have a sticker behind them which has a number and asks you to call them in case of negligent/rash driving. Has anyone ever called and seen any action taken or a response in the first place? Is anyone a part of such a department in their organization and what do they do when they get such a call (if they get one that is)?

[da_lowrider]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Fair amount of advice, education, training is what you can do at the most. If it doesn't work, after that it's all useless.
I may sound rude here but seriously I think why to waste time after such people? They die out of their own deed until they are lucky.
Just like a person who smokes is aware of it's consequences; same applies here. No amount of videos, advice can convince them as they "think" not wearing seat belts proves their manhood.

Sometimes I think we shall display disturbing pictures of mangled bodies or cars at every 10kms on roads/highways just like a cigarette packet warns about the mouth cancer.

Yeah, but what about the kid who didn't make the decision not be strapped into the front seat. Just because the guardian is ignorant doesn't mean that the child should pay right?

The worst is the growing trend of kids who are allowed to - even encouraged - by their parents/guardians to stand in a sunroof! I am personally of the opinion that the parent in question should be booked on the spot and have their licence suspended for life.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by centaur

Many of these cabs and company buses have a sticker behind them which has a number and asks you to call them in case of negligent/rash driving. Has anyone ever called and seen any action taken or a response in the first place?

In Chennai, I have seen a 'intelligent' work around for this as well. Though the number stickers are pasted, the first or last digit is removed, leaving only 9 digits. Talk about common sense.

In my Chennai company, I got a name for frequently shouting at our office bus drivers for rash driving and lane cutting. Also, I got one driver removed from our fleet. But I am sure the contractor would have posted him to some other company's fleet.

[Sree73]

Originally Posted by da_lowrider

The worst is the growing trend of kids who are allowed to - even encouraged - by their parents/guardians to stand in a sunroof! I am personally of the opinion that the parent in question should be booked on the spot and have their licence suspended for life.

+1 to that.

People think that the sunroof is an opening for kids to peep outside for the sightseeing. May not realise that a a little hard braking can create what kind of an injury to the kids.

[vsathyap]

Three letters: E-G-O.

If people can overcome their egos and just strap themselves to the seat, it would result in a lot less number of serious injuries.

There are thousands of crash videos on YouTube. Just have to make people watch these before embarking on a highway trip - at least 50% of these folks would then wear their seat belts. The other 50% wouldn't be bothered as their egos come in their way and they again resort to statements like "it happened to those guys.. cant happen to me! I've been driving since 19XX without a single accident".

People fail to realize that they can be at the receiving end of an accident with no fault of theirs and in such cases something as simple as a seat belt can save them from serious injuries.

I'd encourage everyone to watch those Russian Dashcam videos on YouTube .. One such video is given below as a sampler - this channel has over 120 such videos!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u33fdjUY_Iw

[TD_GHY]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Sorry for going off topic.
We don't really have much options in petrol. The requirements are a good driver's car which is manual, should have good resale 5 years down the line and costs less than 8L OTR. If the Maruti twins are ruled out, we have nothing else there. The below were ruled out by him due to following reasons:

1. Figo: Not a very enthusiastic petrol engine, though better than the previous gen. He is also skeptical about the resale.

2. Polo: 1.2 MPi is nowhere good and TSi is automatic. It's much beyond the budget too.

3. i20: Neutral handling and poor performance in petrol.

Are we missing out on any car?

The new Jazz (SV variant will be below 8L OTR). Doesn't have much electronics, but has ABS, EBD, Twin Airbags. Resale should be good and at par or above the Swift. iVtec is quite fun to drive, if we ignore the very poor low end torque. Far better than Swift Vxi (not mentioning Zxi since most dealers won't sell you that anyway)

[RoadSurfer]

A few days back, my tenant informed me that his youngest son had met with an accident in his Fortuner. The car was at about 100 kmph when his son lost the control over it and he slammed the car into a tree. His son is perfectly ok, but the car is a total loss from Insurance company's point of view. My first question was about the seat belts. I was surprised to learn that that the seat belt was always kept engaged in his car by routing it from the back side of the seat. I explained him that his son had escaped serious injuries only because he must have held the steering wheel very tightly. And luckily since there was no person sitting on the co-driver seat, a major mishap was avoided. I also explained him in detail how seat belts actually work and why is it necessary to always put them on. He has promised that he will not do the mistake he has been doing till now.
It surprises me that people who buy such big and powerful cars, make such hazardous mistakes. I always take every opportunity to educate friends and family about the importance of seat belts and how exactly ABS works. It should now actually be a part of school curriculum.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

Three letters: E-G-O. ...

It plays a part, and maybe a major part with some people, but I'd put I G N O R A N C E as the main cause.

Ignorance is simple not knowing; not having been taught. there is only shame in it if the information is denied. Possibly the vast majority of drivers, world-wide, have little or no idea of what happens in a car accident, and how serious things can be at what they regard as modest speeds. Even enthusiast drivers, let alone day-to-day just-get-A-to-B drivers, often do not know.

I remember learning why wear front seat belts. Some years after that, I learnt why to wear rear seat belts. Before those times, I simply didn't know.

Of course, when the information is in a person's face, and they decide that it simply doesn't apply to them, because of skill, fate, god. karma or whatever, then yes... ego.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It plays a part, and maybe a major part with some people, but I'd put I G N O R A N C E as the main cause.

+1.
I believe if people know how bad it can be if they don't wear a seat belt, they might adopt it.

I remember learning why wear front seat belts. Some years after that, I learnt why to wear rear seat belts. Before those times, I simply didn't know.

Learning, unlearning and re-learning. Some people find it difficult to follow this process.

Even I learned this a good few years after I learnt driving. It was made a rule in my city and I had to follow. Today, I feel like 'loose' or falling all over the place in car if I don't belt up, irrespective of the seat I take. Slowly, I made it a habit for my friends and they also belt up proactively.

[IshaanIan]

Like smoking I believe there is only one morally right thing to do which is to ensure that they know the dangers behind not wearing a seatbelt. Beyond that, it is their choice and I truly believe that once educated, we must not be nannied around.

https://youtu.be/2a93m_jMJ18

[Thad E Ginathom]

Neat.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Like smoking I believe there is only one morally right thing to do which is to ensure that they know the dangers behind not wearing a seatbelt. Beyond that, it is their choice and I truly believe that once educated, we must not be nannied around.

Education is key. Apart from that, people who act like children need nannying,

[bblost]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Like smoking I believe there is only one morally right thing to do which is to ensure that they know the dangers behind not wearing a seatbelt. Beyond that, it is their choice and I truly believe that once educated, we must not be nannied around.

Very nice video. Thanks for sharing.

I just posted it on the Hyderabad Traffic Police Facebook Page.