Government wants to make Airbags & ABS standard on new cars

[AshBabu]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

It looks like the mandate for compulsory airbags and ABS has been postponed to 2017 with current models allowed till 2019.
This is very unfortunate. Crash test labs were supposed to be ready by Dec 2014 but now strangely it has been declared that they would be ready by Dec 2015.

When reading this post I remembered another head line which I have read recently - Corporates are largest Donors to political parties. I would sincerely hope that they will not play with lives of people.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

It looks like the mandate for compulsory airbags and ABS has been postponed to 2017 with current models allowed till 2019.
This is very unfortunate. Crash test labs were supposed to be ready by Dec 2014 but now strangely it has been declared that they would be ready by Dec 2015.

http://qz.com/317622/merry-christmas...ole-lot-safer/

Actually the article talks about crash tests being compulsory from 2017 and not airbags or ABS.

As of now it looks like all new cars will have to comply from October 2015.

Originally Posted by zenren

If your budget is 6 lakhs OTR, then Celerio and Ritz top end should also be available with ABS and dual airbags. With some discounts, it could come even cheaper.



I guess the new Figo might hit the showrooms by mid-2015 which would make it a worthwhile option to consider if there is no drastic increase in price. Other options could be Tata Bolt XMS assuming they retain same variant distribution as Zest.



Please note that there are price hikes around the corner for most manufacturers to adjust to the higher excise duties since the exemption ends on December 31st. So we can expect around 20k hike in prices next year unless government extends the lower rates.

Thanks for your suggestion. I will wait for the Bolt. Also looking at some used options, but finding one with airbags and ABS is a tremendous task.

[motorworks]

Read in an article that the Govt may make crash tests mandatory from 2017. Also it's quoted that there may not be a compulsion to have airbags or ABS and the end result of the crash test is what the govt would be bothered about and not what the car manufacturers had installed in the car. Does this mean that this new rule of compulsory airbags and ABS for new cars from oct 2015 is out of the window?

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Read in an article that the Govt may make crash tests mandatory from 2017. Also it's quoted that there may not be a compulsion to have airbags or ABS and the end result of the crash test is what the govt would be bothered about and not what the car manufacturers had installed in the car. Does this mean that this new rule of compulsory airbags and ABS for new cars from oct 2015 is out of the window?

That is what I am worried about as well. I am afraid that the mandatory airbags and ABS proposal will be delayed by hook or crook to 2017 or even beyond after extensions. The crash test facilities were supposed to be ready by Dec 2014 and now it is being stated that they would be ready by Dec 2015. No reason was given for this one year delay when a few months back we heard that the facilities were practically ready.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Also it's quoted that there may not be a compulsion to have airbags or ABS and the end result of the crash test is what the govt would be bothered about and not what the car manufacturers had installed in the car. Does this mean that this new rule of compulsory airbags and ABS for new cars from oct 2015 is out of the window?

If the crash tests and test result interpretations are "defined" properly, it would mean that the manufacturers will need to equip cars with airbags to attain higher scores in the tests (as in Euro-NCAP tests where cars score 0 if not equipped with airbags). In a way, I guess that is how it should be. Govt publishes the tests and required minimum scores for scoring each star in the test and the manufacturer decides how to meet those score requirements.

ABS, on the other hand, needs to be mandated as it does not come under the purview of the tests.

[SanjayDalal]

I own a Ford Fiesta 1.6SXI purchased new in Nov 2011 (but mfg.in Jan 2011). It is fitted with dual airbags. I have been following the International news about car recalls being made due to faulty airbag inflators mfg. by Takata Company of Japan. They are one of the three largest /main makers of Airbags in the world.
So far 196 people have been seriously injured due to deployment of faulty airbags.

I tried to check with Ford India if my car is equipped with a Takata Airbag.
There is an online chat if you go to their website , where their staffer refused to give the information writing "Sorry , I can't help you with this issue". I asked for a response from a senior manager, for which again he refused. Likewise he refused to share the MD's email id.
I have been following the news for past many months. This has disturbed
me so much, that in Dec 2014, I purchased an Hyundai Eon Magna+, rather then the Sports Model, simply it does NOT have an airbag, even though I could afford to spend the extra 30-35,000.
Can any BHPian shed some light on the issue.

[driving_smartly]

With road safety becoming a constant concern in the country, the government is finally taking corrective and preventive measures for making our roads more safe. One such measures includes making it mandatory for all commercial vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, 2015 to have anti-braking system (ABS). Buses and trucks will now fall under this new mandate.

ABS primarily allows the driver to retain control over the vehicle in case of emergency braking. The system prevents the wheels from locking when brakes are applied at high-speeds during panic-induced situations.

According to 2012 stats, trucks, buses and tractor-trailers were involved in over 30 per cent of the accidents reported in the country. Loss of control was a major contributor to these accidents.

Source http://auto.ndtv.com/news/abs-now-co...d-buses-751343

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by driving_smartly

Source http://auto.ndtv.com/news/abs-now-co...d-buses-751343

One such measures includes making it mandatory for all commercial vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, 2015 to have anti-braking system (ABS).

How many times have we heard/read this!
Wonder what is so confusing in Anti Lock Braking system. On a plus side, they at least got the braking right - did not use breaking.

Looking at the age of commercial vehicles and the duration they are used for, it will be at least 10 years before this measure starts to bear fruit.

[Vishal.R]

Any concrete information on the status of October 2015 deadline for adding safety features on private cars (Original topic of this thread) ? Is the plan still on?

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Vishal.R

Any concrete information on the status of October 2015 deadline for adding safety features on private cars (Original topic of this thread) ? Is the plan still on?

This has now been postponed to Oct 2017 as I reported earlier:

http://articles.economictimes.indiat...ian-cars-norms

[phoenix7]

Postponing it and pushing it further is all they can do! I dont understand why the Govt is not taking a strict stand on safety measures of vehicles.
Lately Toyota has been flaunting the fact that they have added airbags on all variants no, but ABS is still absent on 90% of the humongous Innova's model's. (That too for the vehicle priced like that)

[cingsman]

ABS and Airbags should be absolutely compulsory.. even for the Nanos and the Altos of the world. It is stupid to have so many people lose their lives to things that could have been avoided had there been better safety systems in place.

On that note, can the two-wheelers can drive on the left side of the road in Pune please! God may actually forgive your sins for driving correctly!

[ATUL SINGH]

My wife is planning to buy an Ertiga VXI+ for daily conveyance. While taking a test drive of the petrol version i decided to check out the ABS working and its effectivity in real life situation since i had seen a battery of youtube videos on how ABS lets you retain control under panic braking. Took the car on the Mathura road stretch in Faridabad which is currently under construction and widening. Found a nice stretch of free area barricaded from traffic with lots of dusty and loose gravel on the surface. Asked the Maruti rep to buckle up and away we went- Speeded up to 65-70kmph and then jammed on the brakes. the car shuddered and kept on moving. However, it was possible to steer it to some degree of control although not as smoothly as some of the sketches and elaborations on youtube. Roughly i would say that incase of a normal moving car if the control is say 100% and incase of a panic braked wheel locked car if the control is 0% then in my test case the ertiga had around 40-50% of control. Although i personally think that the setting on the ABS was too tight and adequate wheel turning was not there for better control. Like so many drivers i also thought that i could have controlled the car better with controlled braking manually but remember this is panic braking where for an instant the mind shuts off and your reactions are instinctive. I repeated the same experiment later in my Etios Liva petrol again and out of the two i think the ertiga behaved better in terms of steerability.
ABS definitely seems important for 90-95 % of the drivers. However, for die hard fanatics who know and control their ride well it may be an open case. In view of what i experienced i would seriously suggest that all vehicles including autos/3 and 2-wheelers come equipped with ABS

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by ATUL SINGH

However, for die hard fanatics who know and control their ride well it may be an open case.

Anyone who things they don't need ABS is essentially fooling themselves. The whole idea that the average driver can do manually what an ABS system can do is utter nonsense, in my view.

ABS should be made mandatory as helps prevent a collision.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by ATUL SINGH

Found a nice stretch of free area barricaded from traffic with lots of dusty and loose gravel on the surface. Asked the Maruti rep to buckle up and away we went- Speeded up to 65-70kmph and then jammed on the brakes. the car shuddered and kept on moving. However, it was possible to steer it to some degree of control although not as smoothly as some of the sketches and elaborations on youtube.

ABS isn't as helpful in loose gravel/sand as it is in normal roads. 90% of the time, you might be driving on nicely paved roads and for some reason, you have to brake hard, ABS will come in handy if you don't panic.

Unless you are going to driving in a race series where driver aids are banned, no reason not to have ABS in the car.