Team-BHP - Unrestrained / loose objects can be deadly while driving

A lot is discussed on the car's ability to handle collisions. There is one aspect, often overlooked, that can be fatal or cause serious injuries in accidents. Furthermore, it's something that can be controlled by the driver. That is ensuring everything thing is secured in place and everyone is strapped in.

While heavy / large items definitely need special attention, even mundane stuff such as a phone, food containers or a suitcase on the seat, trinkets on your dashboard can be dangerous in accidents.

Similarly, unrestrained passengers create a risk to all others inside a vehicle, because they get thrown about in a crash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1jj4NAzfHQ

Quote:

Originally Posted by AVIS (Post 4399882)

It is absolutely correct. I have seen many accidents where the passengers who were not wearing the seatbelts where thrown about it the car. Also, we tend to keep stuff like small bags, fruits, knifes, water bottle (outside the bottle holder), etc while we are on some long highway trips. These always possess a great potential to harm the occupants of the car.

A little bit about the biggest unrestrained weight - almost everyone carries in their cars - Passengers! :)

I am looking for resources to share with people whom I drive around/with.
Crash tests with and without seat belts at lower speeds will be helpful to show.

Sometimes, even educated people don't believe in inertia, as much as they should.

So crash tests at city-speeds will help explain better.
Most common lines we all get for NOT wearing seat belts in rear seats:
" It's just city driving.."
" We are not on highway.."
" I will use my hand against the seat in front, we are only driving bumper to bumper.."
and obviously..
" It's uncomforable*.."

* at this point, any explanation effort is just wasting your breath. Clearly that's just brushing off the request for seat-belts.

So far, I have shared the below videos. (but those don't clearly show the crash speeds)
If anyone has any better links, that would be great to share.

Crash compilation without seatbelt in the rear seats

Side view with dummies

Thanks,

Ace.

Oh? So is this a bad idea?

Unrestrained / loose objects can be deadly while driving-p_20170415_112406_p.jpg

Unrestrained / loose objects can be deadly while driving-p_20170415_113941_p.jpg

On a more serious note, I don't think Indians have a habit of carrying heavy/multiple items in their personal cars, especially in the cabin. Cars are not generally used for transporting cargo. Unrestrained luggage in cabin is quite prevalent though.

Great thread :thumbs up! Perhaps, one of the most common examples of an unrestrained object causing danger is a water bottle left on the floor. It can roll behind the brake pedal and restrict its usage - has caught me out once.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4400182)

This actually resulted in a minor fender bender to a friend of mine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4400182)

Another object is our footwear. I used to remove my shoes inside the car during long drives. Once one shoe lodged itself under the clutch/brake pedal and soon enough some obstruction came into view. I had a horrible time before I dislodged it in time.

A lesson learnt. These days even if I walk like duck after a long journey wearing a tight shoe - I still wear that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4400182)

In my case the bottle was not lose but was inside a bag on the passenger side in the Thar. Under heavy cornering the bottle came out of the bag and slipped under the clutch. There is no console in my Thar between the driver and passenger seat, so there was nothing to stop the bottle coming over to this side. I was able to stop the car after putting it in neutral and applying the brakes, but it was scary for a second. If the bottle had gone under the brake pedal, I don't know what I could have done.

I also had similar experience, fortunately my footwear stuck under C pedal, after that incident I stopped the habit of removing shoes while driving. Though we can not avoid water bottles in door pockets, its better to secure loose things with cargo nets where ever possible, car manufacturers should provide these nets as a standard feature.

some like this -

I know of a terrible accident involving my neighbor in Delhi sometime in 2009 precisely for loading the car with odds and things. Him, his wife, mother and three kids were traveling in a Santro car near Meerut. Steel plates, forks, spoons, tumblers and other small steel/metal items were placed on the dashboard or behind the passenger seats. Except for the driver (my neighbor) none of the others were wearing seat belts. The car was being driven at high speed and toppled over as my neighbor was trying to avoid a cyclist. The result: three dead and two seriously injured. The doctors attending pointed out to some of the steel items having pierced the victims' bodies. In one case, a steel plate had got jammed between the victim's neck and the front door breaking the neck.

In a country where educated (I stress on this word) car owners:

a) Let a child stand in the front passenger foot well inches away from the passenger airbag
b) Drive with children in their lap
c) Let children raise their heads out the of car through the sunroof
d) NEVER have their children fasten seat-belts
e) Never fasten seat-belts themselves
f) Speak on the mobile phone when driving. I've even seen some texting not only in cars but even on 2 wheelers.

Any 1 or more of these infractions is enough to warrant a hefty fine, license cancellation or even jail time abroad. So, Indians keeping unsecured articles inside the car simply doesn't surprise me. People think nothing will happens to them..until it does.

It is amazing to see the same 'educated' drivers will follow every single rule whilst driving overseas paradoxically where the risks of an accident are lower due to the far more disciplined traffic and better roads. :Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 4400267)

a) Let a child stand in the front passenger foot well inches away from the passenger airbag
b) Drive with children in their lap
c) Let children raise their heads out the of car through the sunroof
d) NEVER have their children fasten seat-belts
e) Never fasten seat-belts themselves
f) Speak on the mobile phone when driving. I've even seen some texting not only in cars but even on 2 wheelers.

Add children sticking their heads out of sun roof to that list.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackPearl (Post 4400336)

Add children sticking their heads out of sun roof to that list.

Yep, that's in c) and IMO one of the riskiest things a child can do. The driver/adult(s) ought to be penalised.

Quote:

Originally Posted by R2D2 (Post 4400387)

Yep, that's in c) and IMO one of the riskiest things a child can do. The driver/adult(s) ought to be penalised.

Right, you had mentioned it but strangely I missed seeing it!!

While the loose objects are safety hazard, they cause this irritating noise when you drive over a rough patch. I just cannot bear it. While a loose carpet may not cause rattles, I feel theses are biggest cause of concern w.r.to safety. Scattered carpets make the car interior look ugly as well.