[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

What you mentioned are "assists" & "guidelines". You have the choice of following or not following them. Anyone can always jump a traffic signal. Its the individual's choice. An accident or fine that follows is the result. The cops don't stop you before jumping the signal. They stand under shade around the corner AFTER someone does that. (Not that they can really stop everyone.)

Incidentally, most of the things you mentioned are NOT available or not upto the mark in my part of the world.

And I'll not get started about the police and the wild west as here only the good people are prohibited from carrying a gun .

Just because we can do a lot of things does not necessarily mean we should!
I am alive today because the car I crashed had good crumple zones, a solid passenger shell, and 6 airbags which deployed timely.
You can keep your freedom of choice, I shall root for mandatory abs+airbags so that the occupants of the car have a shot at survival, whether they are suicidal, homicidal or both!

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

I guess Bhargava's statement is true to some extent. I was just thinking of those lesser fortunate of our society, who somehow manage to collect just enough cash to be able to purchase a 800 LXi or a nano.

If bought by Manufacturers in Volumes, cost of ABS & 2 Airbags shouldn't exceed 30K per car. Most people buy cars on EMI and difference on a 5 year loan for 30K is only change.

Should we say the same about childrens vaccinations, treatment etc for the poor??

If you have looked at the way Nano did, you will understand that every body who uses are two wheeler is not because they cannot afford a car. A used maruti 800 in decent condition is avilalable for the price of a new bike.

There maybe some merrit in your view, but I think in larger interest of the road safety, this law is good. I can also assure you that Bhargava is not sheddding any tears for the poor. His interest is purely to protect the bottomline of his income source...

[FarPatel]

Those of you who believe it is no one else's business whether you live or die, let me ask you whether you have seen a cop trying to wash away what looks like pink scrambled egg from the road, after a horrific accident? I have. An accident like that would not just end with one stupid life being snuffed out. That cop would have had sleepless nights, an ambulance would have been called on emergency basis, hospital staff would have battled to save survivors lives, the survivor/s may have to face unnecessary police action for an extended period, etc, etc. So, if one wants to live in a society one has no right to be selfish but needs to follow certain rules which have been framed for the betterment of this society as a whole.

So, I too believe the objective of the lawmakers should be to make the roads safer, in order to reduce fatalities and consequent strain on support facilities. The objective should not be to enable more people to hit the road, whether on two wheels or four. Most forward-thinking countries think of ways to reduce vehicles on the road and here we are advocating adding more, many of which are being driven by people who only receive basic and inadequate training in driving a vehicle, not education in road use.

Therefore, I think this ruling on ABS and airbags is long overdue and should be followed up with education (not training) of drivers, riders as well as walkers, provision of pedestrian-friendly facilities, strict enforcement of road rules etc.

[sdp1975]

Car makers reluctant to implement safety norms quoting price rise :

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/45253747.cms

[Equus]

Playing the devils advocate here..

Competition is what is driving us in this negative spiral. I have lost complete faith in these "value" offerings now. Not to blame the manufacturers alone though as the tax structure plays a very important role in the pricing of a car. In a country where cars are more taxed than cigarettes, this needs a review!

For the FM to reduce the taxes, the tax base has to widen. Too much tax chori happens even now. Guess how many people earn more than 10L per annum according to the IT Dept? You will be stunned to know they drive around in D-segment cars (if not even higher!). So we all have a role to play!

Good news is that we have a PM whose is a true patriot & his primary goal is nation building! Its really now or never - I am optimistic!!

[KhalDrogo]

Great move, and a long time coming. Hopefully the unexpected benefit of this is that more safety tech like ESP and 6 airbags etc make their way to top end models of most cars to differentiate them from the base versions.

[atul.sxna]

It's about time the regulatory body lays down some global standards in safety for the cars being manufactured and sold in India. In the guise of "value" offerings the Indian customer has been taken for a ride for quite some time now.

Mandatory Airbags and ABS in ALL cars irrespective of the manufacturer and variant of the car will go a long way in making the already shabby Indian roads safer to drive on.

What I'm concerned about is the strong lobbying by the Auto Sector which has managed to stall these changes in the law so-far. We need some strong willed administrators in the govt. who think of the greater good of the public than their own bank accounts.

[parimal_g]

Mandatory ABS is good thing, but Airbags its big no as of now, it will be more disastrous when person is not using seat belt and accident happens in this case its more dangerous, how many were seat belts for the safty ..? Most of the people use seat belts to avoid fine and as soon as they hit the highways they remove it, and if the car has buzzer they have alternative to avoid the buzzer, like an many cases first they bucked the belt and they sit on it. And just imagine the small cities and rural area where hardly 10/20 % of the users use the seat belt, so i think before implementing this education is more important.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Most of the people use seat belts to avoid fine and as soon as they hit the highways they remove it, and if the car has buzzer they have alternative to avoid the buzzer, like an many cases first they bucked the belt and they sit on it. And just imagine the small cities and rural area where hardly 10/20 % of the users use the seat belt, so i think before implementing this education is more important.

I think such people deserve an airbag in their face. Let us not forget that most of the folks aren't oblivious to car safety standards by default, they choose to be!

[rki2007]

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Mandatory ABS is good thing, but Airbags its big no as of now, it will be more disastrous when person is not using seat belt and accident happens in this case its more dangerous, how many were seat belts for the safty ..? Most of the people use seat belts to avoid fine and as soon as they hit the highways they remove it, and if the car has buzzer they have alternative to avoid the buzzer, like an many cases first they bucked the belt and they sit on it. And just imagine the small cities and rural area where hardly 10/20 % of the users use the seat belt, so i think before implementing this education is more important.

I feel pity for any typical Indian who says no for safety!!. The Govt need to be appreciated for making the Airbags and ABS mandatory understanding our Indian people's mentality that when given a choice, people will not opt for Airbags and ABS.

Wearing a seat belt or not is the discretion of the passengers. It is left to them. If they want to risk their life, then can do it.

[prabhu789]

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Mandatory ABS is good thing, but Airbags its big no as of now, it will be more disastrous when person is not using seat belt and accident happens in this case its more dangerous, how many were seat belts for the safty ..? Most of the people use seat belts to avoid fine

See it in a different perspective. Just like they wear seat belts to avoid fine, they would definitely start wearing seat belts when they know their life is in danger.

It will take some time to educate everyone but in the long run it would surely save many lives.

[motorworks]

I have no issues with this new policy, but it would work well only when we have all other factors like good roads, better traffic rule implementation etc.

However, I'm caught in a catch 22 situation now. I just sold my Wife's Alto for a decent price and was in the market for a entry level petrol hatch like the I10 or Beat etc. But this new policy has had thinking and I have held back the purchase. In the current scenario, very few petrol hatchbacks have these 2 Airbags & ABS at less than 6 lakhs. I can just count Figo Titanium, Micra Active XVS and nothing else really! If I do buy a car without these features, one is surely the safety factor and the other is the resale after 4 years by when this policy would become a talking point during re-sale.
My wife doesnt need the car until April or May this year, hence I think my best option would be wait and see if any of the car manufacturers take the lead in making these features mandatory in their models. Honestly I think no one is going to do it, may be except VW since they are already nearly there with airbags being standard.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by motorworks

In the current scenario, very few petrol hatchbacks have these 2 Airbags & ABS at less than 6 lakhs. I can just count Figo Titanium, Micra Active XVS and nothing else really! If I do buy a car without these features, one is surely the safety factor and the other is the resale after 4 years by when this policy would become a talking point during re-sale.
My wife doesnt need the car until April or May this year, hence I think my best option would be wait and see if any of the car manufacturers take the lead in making these features mandatory in their models. Honestly I think no one is going to do it, may be except VW since they are already nearly there with airbags being standard.

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.

[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/

[balajisv]

Originally Posted by motorworks

In the current scenario, very few petrol hatchbacks have these 2 Airbags & ABS at less than 6 lakhs.

Zest XMS Petrol is 6.6L on road in Bangalore. So, the same variant in the Bolt hatch will easily be under 6L.
This is of course assuming TM will provide same features as they have in the Zest XMS variant.