Maruti Survey: Only 25% of drivers use seatbelts

[aditya9567]

On the one hand, you have the government and car manufacturers trying to get people to do the right thing (specific to this case ). And on the other, you have idiots designing these!



Product Description: BLACK CARBON FIBER SEAT BELT BUCKLE SAFETY INSERT ALARM STOPPER ELIMINATOR

Carbon fiber for adding that extra sporty element which will make you go faster towards your doom!

Image Source: Google search

[alphadog]

Frustrations galore!.
As many other before have mentioned, it is something that needs to be inculcated right from primary school level. A mandatory separate chapter on road, vehicle and if you ask me, fire safety also should be added in civic studies or anywhere else in the curriculum.
The adults in any family have the responsibility to be setting an example for the gen-next. If they themselves care two hoots about wearing helmets when riding or strapping the seat belt on when driving or as a passenger, the children will assume that this is normal behaviour. The converse also holds true.

In addition to this, there should be stricter implementation of the law. The car manufacturers should be penalised for releasing cars without adequate seat belts at the rear and for not including air bags and ABS as standard even in their base models. There should be zero tolerance for breaking the rules and steep fines for public as well.

In Kerala, for example, during the tenure of a particularly good minded and strict transport commissioner in the past, seat belts and helmets use became widespread and the norm. Alas, he got transferred as he was doing good stuff.. The netas and politicians will not do any thing that will be perceived by the public to cause inconvenience to them. So really, we cannot expect them to help in this matter.

Awareness, education, strict implementation of rules and steep penalties for breaking the law should become the norm both for car manufacturers and members of the public.
As individuals, how we can help, is by at least educating our extended family and friends, as much as we can. Needless to say, we and everyone else in the vehicle should be strapped up, even for the shortest of journeys and also use infant/child seats always when there is a child in the car.

I am optimistic that things will improve, but slowly. Until then, sadly, lot more lives will be lost and families affected.
God save our country.
Cheerio!

[cityslicker86]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

Carbon fiber for adding that extra sporty element which will make you go faster towards your doom!

Image Source: Google search

Hahahaha. So funny yet so true.

Personally, I feel that seat belts have been around in India for a very long time. Accidents have been happening for a long time. Awareness drives, adverts, laws, etc etc have been in place for a long time. Enough information and evidence is available to an average driver for him/her to know that seat belts are important and must be used. Despite all this, if someone still doesn't use them and risks his/her life, so be it.

Government should enact a law that deprives an accident victim from all support, i.e. medical insurance, subsidised/free treatment at government hospitals, job security, reservation in public transport and others if they were injured/killed in an accident and were not wearing seat belts (or helmet as the case may be).

Forget challans etc. Why trouble the traffic police?

After that, its upto a person's intelligence and fate.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Shockingly, in the city of Coimbatore, it was found that not even ove of the surveyed persons used a seatbelt. Cities like Indore and Bangalore stood at the bottom of the list.

I live in the city of Coimbatore, and in the past 3 years I have been driving my car, not even once I moved my car an inch without wearing seat belt.

I also have seen several drivers on the road with seat belt on major roads like Avinashi Road. But Yes, the percentage of people wearing seat belts here are less.

There is also lot of traffic police promoted advertisements to wear helmet while riding bike & wear seat belt while driving cars. I think police does not catch here for not wearing seat belt. They impose fines for riding without helmets. Similar traffic fines for seat belts can help people fall in line.
Newer cars having seat belt reminders really have some positive impact. (Easier to wear the seat belt rather than having to listen to the alarm all the way).

[TSourav]

Can we question ourselves that why do people in the West wear seat belts even though there is hardly any cop around?

In India, not wearing seat belt is a result of a much much bigger problem, a problem that can potentially turn the future generations of the Indian population grossly unhealthy, unproductive and socially deplorable. The problem is that our nation does not love us. Let me explain.

Here are few aspects of our society that we Indians have taken for granted.
Pollution: Today there is hardly any green patch left in urban cities like Bangalore, hardly any lakes or parks. Toxic gases are inhaled by children, forget about us.
Dirt: Dirt has engulfed our lives and we turn a blind eye to it. Eyes do open once you land in the Western countries. Then we realize how much particulate pollutants are present in India. These dirt certainly affects us adversely.
Congestion and Traffic: There is utter lawlessness in the urban streets. Endless congestion and barrage of exhaust fumes constantly spew up toxins as the fuel mileage gets paltry by the minute.
Long working hours: There is absence of any proper labour law and thus the companies can demand long working hours. There is hardly any thought spared for work life balance or for reducing stress. In the end, the working class is a stressed workhorse, buckling to the threshold. In urban India, there is hardly any time for a middle class to indulge in some hobby or self wellness activity.
Crippling Public Healthcare system: In urban India, if there is an emergency ambulance stuck during the congestion hours, will it be able to reach the hospital quickly? I am afraid not. Not because we the drivers will not give it the right of way, but because there is hardly any space to move in the streets. Then comes the public hospitals. There is hardly any hygiene or any infrastructure that is maintained in those hospitals. There is simply no faith in the public healthcare system and so we need to save up and be prepared to pay the soaring bills of private hospitals. And add to that, we are eternally worried about how an ambulance will take our loved ones to the hospitals in case of any catastrophe.
There are many more points that I can add. Questionable law and order, inflation, corruption to name a few.

Now all these above points really smudges the real reason or our existence. Ask any middle class (including me) about the purpose of his or her life and in most cases, the honest answer will be to sustain the fight for survival.
It feels like the Nation does not care about our well being and our future and it is this feeling that makes us insecured and vulnerable which is why the middle class hardly loves the life that they are living. Thus, this under current of hatred gets manifested into littering, spitting, honking and to even not wearing a seat belt or a helmet. The solution lies in making the population, a happy society. Once we are happy and contented, most lifestyle issues will be resolved.

[yogesh.8984]

Making it as an habit is the key really. Once it’s an habit, not wearing a seatbelt will be uncomfortable even for short runabouts (I can say this based on my own experience).

Before I started driving, I used to feel like wearing seatbelt is one of those little overheads (I am one of those people who think carrying an umbrella or wearing a windcheater/raincoat are some of those little overheads). Wearing seatbelt is off that list thankfully since I started driving and I feel uncomfortable if seatbelt is not on.

Educating people is also the key. Some even thinks that if you are strapped to seat, it is difficult to get out of the car in an emergency.

[jensjoseph]

Most Indians absolutely disregard the seat belt and its basic functionality. Even driving instructors in India don’t enforce them.

I still remember my parents failing their driving tests in a foreign country because they forgot to buckle up prior to starting the car.

Another incident remains fresh in my memory: In 2009, if I worked beyond 7 pm at my organization, I could avail a cab. One evening I was assigned a cab at the 9.30 pm slot. I got into the front passenger seat and the cab driver retorted: Mat daalo. Raat ko police check nahi karta. (Don’t put the seat belt. The cops don’t check at night). I reminded him that the seat belt wasn’t for the cops, it was for my safety, and his too.

It sure is irritating hearing the warning tone if you don’t wear a seat belt, but it’s a lot less irritating than hearing the siren of an ambulance.

[GeeTee TSI]

Fancy seat covers which make the (rear) seatbelt buckles disappear are my biggest fear and frustration. More often than not, aggregator cabs do not have useable seatbelts in rear seats, nor does the odd friend who offers you a lift and the less said about the fifth passenger in the middle seat, the better!
Once my service center 'most thoughtfully' tucked the rear seatbelts away out of sight, requiring my wife and I to flip the rear seats forward and slide the seat base to retrieve them

[Avikbrio]

I personally feel the seat belt chime should be loud and constantly on as long as the car is in motion. It should be applied for ALL the passengers seated in the vehicle. I see many cars whose seatbelt warning chimes are too low, or beep for only a few seconds. Those are absolutely useless. Since most of us Indians don't see and learn, its time a stick must be applied.

[famousshoes]

This also brings to mind the totally avoidable deaths of Noble prize winner John Nash -one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century and upon whom the Film "A beautiful mind" was based - and his wife Alicia. While heading home from the airport, Nash and his wife were thrown out of their cab when it lost control and hit a guard rail. They were not wearing seat belts.

http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ss...t_wear_se.html

There is somehow an assumption floating around that backseat passengers are safe and don't need to wear seat belts. This is absolute bosh as is evident from this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU12n1sdLx0

This theory is also helped along by the absence of laws in our country. 90% of the time rear seat belts are buried under the seat covers or the seat itself "so it doesn't stick into your rear".
Closer to home, Minister Gopinath Munde succumbed to injuries sustained in a car crash
Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said, "Wearing a seat belt could have saved Munde. I lost my friend to a misconception. Most people think back-seat belts serve only a decorative purpose. But wearing them is as essential as wearing front-seat belts. Munde might have been alive had he been wearing one."
http://www.firstpost.com/living/the-...t-1555999.html

Articles like these and many others stressing the importance of seat belts proliferated at the time but public memory being what it is, it will take something more drastic to shake people out of their apathy. Like many readers stated we can and should make it a point to belt up and make others follow suit, be it in the front seat or the back.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by GTO

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" .

What else can the government & manufacturers do?

- Seatbelts standard in all cars (including at the rear) - Check

- Wearing seatbelts enforced by law - Check

- Warning chime if not buckled in - Check

- Warning labels & stickers about the dangers of not buckling up - Check

For all the blaming that Indians do, it's time they look at their own selves.

Make a law which clearly states: occupants or driver not wearing seatbelts and are injured or dead, cannot claim or recieve any insurance payout or compensation. No matter what the cause they are deemed careless and therefore in fault.

[GKMahajan]

Originally Posted by GTO

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" .

What else can the government & manufacturers do?

- Seatbelts standard in all cars (including at the rear) - Check

- Wearing seatbelts enforced by law - Check

- Warning chime if not buckled in - Check

- Warning labels & stickers about the dangers of not buckling up - Check

For all the blaming that Indians do, it's time they look at their own selves.

Dear GTO,

Very well said.

I would like to share a small incidence here. I was in San Fransico. I had just climbed into a taxi to go to the airport. The driver ashed me to buckle up. I thanked him and did it. His happiness was obvious. So I said 'sorry' to him and tried to justify saying that in India we do not use the buckles in the rear seat. His response was classic - 'Don't worry the present kids will die in accidents and their parents will get the legislature!' I was shocked!! However, I am afraid that some tragic incidents also have not done the needful. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Girish Mahajan

Originally Posted by cityslicker86

Hahahaha. So funny yet so true.

Personally, I feel that seat belts have been around in India for a very long time. Accidents have been happening for a long time. Awareness drives, adverts, laws, etc etc have been in place for a long time. Enough information and evidence is available to an average driver for him/her to know that seat belts are important and must be used. Despite all this, if someone still doesn't use them and risks his/her life, so be it.

Government should enact a law that deprives an accident victim from all support, i.e. medical insurance, subsidised/free treatment at government hospitals, job security, reservation in public transport and others if they were injured/killed in an accident and were not wearing seat belts (or helmet as the case may be).

Forget challans etc. Why trouble the traffic police?

After that, its upto a person's intelligence and fate.

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Make a law which clearly states: occupants or driver not wearing seatbelts and are injured or dead, cannot claim or recieve any insurance payout or compensation. No matter what the cause they are deemed careless and therefore in fault.

Dear cityslicker86 and apachelongbow,

I am not sure - however I think I am right when I say this - in India 'legally' you will not get insurance claim if you are doing anything illegal at the time of the accident. So, if you are on the wrong side of the road, helmetless, seatbeltless, etc you can lose your insurance claim. I have made a few claims and I felt that the questions asked by the insurer were to ensure that I was legally clear!

I have even seen some advertisements in the newspaper and on hoardings to this effect. Lately, these seem to be rare. So, maybe, your point is still valid - only thing is that the law is in place but the implementation may not be adequately in place AND maybe the awareness is missing.

Anyway, good point made.

Regards,

Girish Mahajan

[valhallen.282]

For the last 10 years that I've been driving - I've always said wear a seatbelt or we aren't moving. Front - rear -third row - didnt matter.

You wear a seatbelt I drive. You remove the seat belt - i stop. You refuse to wear it. Either I get out and take a cab or you do. I shall not be responsible if any injuries occur.

Every time I'm in a cab and I see a driver not wearing his seat belt - I make it a point to remind him/her that their new cab has Airbags. To which most of them are quite happy for them it's a get out of Jail free card of sorts (that means i can avoid injuries in an accident)

At that point i explain to them that the Airbag is an SRS Secondary Restraint System. It's there to save you over and above the seatbelt. The seat belt hold you in place. The airbag protects your upper body from injury. Without a seatbelt you bear the full brunt of the accident + the opening of the airbag + total loss of protection from the airbag.

The moment this enters their brain - the seat belt automatically gets put on.

The slow speed argument sees me explain to them the way in which seatbelt pre-tensioners work. Preventing you from facing the sudden jerk caused by a slow speed accident and restraining you from the effects of inertia. All that yap and at the end of the ride the seat belt comes off story forgotten.

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

On the one hand, you have the government and car manufacturers trying to get people to do the right thing (specific to this case ). And on the other, you have idiots designing these!

Attachment 1694602

Product Description: BLACK CARBON FIBER SEAT BELT BUCKLE SAFETY INSERT ALARM STOPPER ELIMINATOR

Carbon fiber for adding that extra sporty element which will make you go faster towards your doom!

Image Source: Google search

As long as there are people who encourage driving without seatbelt’s with these type of hacks, there’s nothing much we can do because the sellers themselves are standing by those who are against the usage of seatbelt’s.

Another surprising thing is, people who are asked to use seatbelt’s give a weird stare as if we are asking them of a favour - not sure if this is THE typical Indian mentality! They do not realise the repercussions as highlighted in this post already. But on the other hand, schools are taking initiative in preaching safety measures for the kids when they board the car. My nephew who’s just 6 years old wraps himself around the seatbelt even if he’s seated in the rear which is a positive thing and there’s indeed the influence of the parents who are concerned of safety too!

Majority of rejection of usage comes from earlier gens who are used to riding or driving with or without safety precautions such as with helmets on 2 wheels, seat belts on 4 wheels. They construe it as a burden rather than the safety precaution

I’ve seen this against-safety hacks being on the rise to overrule the safety indicators placed in the car which is saddening or foolish IMO!

[jasjotbains]

Originally Posted by famousshoes

There is somehow an assumption floating around that backseat passengers are safe and don't need to wear seat belts. This is absolute bosh as is evident from this video
This theory is also helped along by the absence of laws in our country. 90% of the time rear seat belts are buried under the seat covers or the seat itself "so it doesn't stick into your rear".
Closer to home, Minister Gopinath Munde succumbed to injuries sustained in a car crash
Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said, "Wearing a seat belt could have saved Munde. I lost my friend to a misconception. Most people think back-seat belts serve only a decorative purpose. But wearing them is as essential as wearing front-seat belts. Munde might have been alive had he been wearing one."

Point noted. I was involved in a similar crash when the Cruze a friend was driving skidded and crashed into a tree. Our friend at the back sadly passed away due to internal injuries. He was not buckled up. We in the front were buckled up; we got a few scratches and concussions.

I have made a point since that day to ensure I am buckled up, whether I am driving or I am a passenger. The lesson taught to me was a costly one. Hope people do realize the importance of seat belts before they are taught a similar lesson with such a price.

On a second thought, seat belt pre-tensioners should be made a standard equipment on all cars - basic as well as high end. I may not know how they work, but they sound like something that could keep someone planted in their seat and save the head crashing into the windshield during a collision.