[psn]

Originally Posted by torque!!

Airbags, reverse sensors and seat belt warnings are absolutely welcome. But I am a bit concerned about the constant beeping above 100 kmph. I think this will cause more driver irritation and create more problems than what it tries to address. The speed limits are set a bit too low. Alert at 100, a beep every few minutes at 120 and constant beeping at 140 is perhaps more in-line with today’s bigger cars and highways.

This is a fantastic move. Yes ABS should also be added to the list.
As far as speed warning is concerned, wanted to add something about it.
I have a 1.6. Skoda Fabia and it has a speed warning. If it is line with that, then here is how it works:
-You set the speed at which you want it to warn you.(In this case, it may be predefined by Govt. at 80 kmph)
- Every time you cross the limit, the car gives a tiny, audible beep. However, after your have crossed it, it doesn't constantly continue to warn you. So on a highway, if I hold my speed at 100 kmph, only at the time of crossing the limit, will give a beep once and that's it. no further constant beeping. Not at all like a seat belt warning.


So if it is like that, then I don't think it will be a problem. Anyways only time will tell how the govt. wants it to work.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by chncar

This is a great move and long overdue, but at a minimum the following should be required:

• Airbags
• ABS
• ESC
• Rear Wash and Wipe
• Day-night mirror
• ORVM on both sides of the car, not just the right side
• Seatbelt alarms

Unfortunately, this "mamma-knows-best" government intervention may be the last and best hope, since data conclusively proves that buyers in Indian car market do not value safety features, and by extension, their own and pedestrians' safety, or at least given a choice, values it less than chrome, alloys and touchscreen music systems.

[guptad42]

No car in the world would pass a crash test at 140 kmph. Increasing the threshold by even 10 kmph increases the stress on the vehicle enormously. It is impossible to design a vehicle that can protect its occupants in a 140 kmph crash using currently available mass production technology. Fortunately most crashes occur at slower speeds. One might be travelling at 140 kmph but almost always one brakes and slows down to to a lesser speed at the point of impact. When you read stories of vehicles rear ending a stationary truck with all occupants dead and the vehicle left in a mangled heap, those are the crashes where the speed might have been over 100 kmph and one can see that the vehicle was unable to protect its occupants. Most well made modern cars are designed to provide good protection up to 64 kmph, some injuries from 64 to 80 kmph and then the risk of severe injury thereafter. Of course there are so many factors at play and it is possible that a person gets injured at a slower speed and comes out safe at a slightly higher one but it is nearly impossible to have a crash at a speed above 100 kmph and come out of it without any injury for a front seat passenger.

Here is an article explaining this:

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...top-rated-cars

Thank you for sharing this. I did not realize it

[Turbanator]

What happens to Gypsy, will they able to add Airbags or will this be discontinued?

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by psn

As far as speed warning is concerned, wanted to add something about it.
I have a 1.6. Skoda Fabia and it has a speed warning. If it is line with that, then here is how it works:

Exactly how it works in the Fiat Punto Evo.
Seat belt reminder beep is a continuous loud, shrilling ear piercing irritating whine that starts if you've crossed 10 kmph (IIRC). Speed limit (set at 100 kmph in my car) gives a long beep *once* every time you cross 100 kmph.

[guptad42]

Considering that the damage rises much faster than collision speed, it is more meaningful to look at two sets of technologies for safety -

1. Collision Avoidance: systems that detect risk of collision and actively brake cars down to below 40kmpl or so, like basic radar used in adaptive cruise control - these radar and optical sensors are pretty cheap now.

2. Braking: Regulator could start specifying max. stopping distance under a variety of road conditions, especially for time and distance taken to reduce speed from 100kmh down to 40. And, ABS/traction control. This will avoid companies saving costs by under-sizing brakes and providing very skinny tyres. Several popular models from major car makers in India have had this problem.

Govt can also provide a tax incentive. Cars delivering delivering a certain level of safety over and above minimum standards should get a lower GST bracket! It is better than the mild hybrid tax concession that is saving very little fuel.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by guptad42

Considering that the damage rises much faster than collision speed, it is more meaningful to look at two sets of technologies for safety -

1. Collision Avoidance: systems that detect risk of collision and actively brake cars down to below 40kmpl or so, like basic radar used in adaptive cruise control - these radar and optical sensors are pretty cheap now.

Govt can also provide a tax incentive. Cars delivering delivering a certain level of safety over and above minimum standards should get a lower GST bracket! It is better than the mild hybrid tax concession that is saving very little fuel.

Excellent ideas.
Crash avoidance systems are becoming cheaper and making them mandatory by say 2020 would be a great move.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I think most airbag systems take it into consideration. Airbags don't work if you aren't belted up, or do they?

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Correct! Most systems don't work if you don't wear your seatbelt...

It's something that can be configured. I, once shared space with a guy from Bosch who worked on the Airbag module coding. He said that ideally airbags should deploy only if the passengers are buckled. But knowing Indian mindset, some manufacturers do insist to have it deploy even when seat belts are not used.

[aaychat]

Kudos to the Ministry for fast forwarding it's implementation.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Good move, but how come ABS isn't compulsory? Preventing the accident is better than reducing damage caused by accidents.

While making airbags compulsory would reduce the number of deaths, the number of accidents can be reduced only by a good education and a much-improved system for testing to get a license.

That said, I agree that ABS should have made the list as well specially since it has already been made mandatory for commercial vehicles. Link to Team-BHP article.

[Anand3553]

, I am not sure if it is practical but I always thought that the seat belts in Indian cars should be redesigned in such a way that one cannot keep it buckled close to the seat and sit on top of it. And then set up a continuous alarm which cannot be turned off if seat belt is not buckled.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

It's something that can be configured. I, once shared space with a guy from Bosch who worked on the Airbag module coding. He said that ideally airbags should deploy only if the passengers are buckled. But knowing Indian mindset, some manufacturers do insist to have it deploy even when seat belts are not used.

Sounds interesting!
So can they actually configure the rate of deployment depending on whether the seatbelt is worn or not?
Do they play with any other parameters?

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Turbohead

...So can they actually configure the rate of deployment depending on whether the seatbelt is worn or not?
Do they play with any other parameters?

I don't have more info on this unfortunately. When you say "rate of deployment", do you mean the speed of the deployment? Thinking loud, they probably can configure the speed of impact at which the airbags deploy as well - not sure of this though.

[xs2mayank]

I think India is still not very mature for higher speed limits. In US, even most of the interstate highways have a max. speed limit of 70 mph which translates to 112 kph.

Keeping safety in mind and seeing the conditions of highways, limited number of lanes, numerous cross intersections, driving habits of general public & ability of most vehicles, I think there should be limit to max speed limit.

[zavegur]

Its about time the government wakes up. They should also put it in their head that travelling in car with air bags is not the end of it rather the beginning. We need better roads, infrastructure, mandatory seat belts, better traffic management, etc etc.,

However, we drivers should ensure that us and our passengers are safe through our disciplined driving.

Z

[blackasta]

A top down solution to a problem that should have been solved bottom up.
The first and the most important thing that needs to be standardized and enforced rigidly in India today is driver's education, proper training and proper licensing.
In most of the cases of people not following driving laws, they simply don't know them because no one taught it to them in the first place, and neither were they tested to check if they know the laws.
More than half of the problem would be solved with educated drivers. If required - launch recertification for ALL drivers a la 500/1000 rupee note exchange.