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View Poll Results: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?
Yes, I do feel safe in my car 355 84.12%
No, my car doesn't make me feel safe 67 15.88%
Voters: 422. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 25th June 2018, 12:42   #31
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Voted Yes. I have a big phobia of sitting as a passenger in a car or as a pillion on a bike. The bike part is stronger, however over time, I have managed to comfortably sit with other car drivers once I know how they drive. However, incase of someone driving a bit to fast, or taking undue risks makes me uneasy. Note, its not about the speed, and some drivers have managed to scare me to such an extent that I had to to literally ask them to let me off or allow me to drive despite speeds not crossing 50 km/h.

Being at the wheel keeps me in control and my style of driving is erring on the side of caution. That said, I too like to have fun once in a while, however I'll prefer a curved road anyway over a straight road.

Slowly, we too have started focusing on the safety side of things. All of us belt up irrespective of the cars and and the newer cars will most definitely have safety features. Going forward, the next car's purchase would have the safety factor at the top with the most weightage given to it over anything else.

That said, I equally feel safe in a Maruti 800 or a Mercedes S-Class and everything in between.
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Old 25th June 2018, 14:53   #32
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

I voted Yes - But....

Currently, I have 2 cars:
Primary Car - My primary car is the 2013 Ecosport AT and I have a lot of trust on this car because of the exemplary list of safety systems that it has, it's brakes and also because of the way it handled the weight of an entire tree trunk which fell on the car, with minimal damage. It isn't a license to drive like a maniac, although I confess that I have those moments few times. There is one safety related aspect that needs improvement however, which are the headlamps and that's on my list soon.

Secondary Car - my other car is a 2015 Scorpio S4+ 4WD. I have close to Zero confidence in the abilities of this vehicle to either stay in control in any inadvertent situation or to save me in case of a collision. It's apparent build quality is way below the Ford, has bad driving characteristics, tends to lose traction in a jiffy and has extremely poor braking - it can't brake in a straight line from say 90 kmph. As a result I am extremely wary while driving the Scorpio, and my average speeds on similar roads and situations are at least 10-20 kmph less than what I would do with the Ecosport. Toppling this vehicle in an emergency manoeuvre is my biggest fear. It has good stock headlamps though. Sigh!

Last edited by roy_libran : 25th June 2018 at 14:56.
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Old 25th June 2018, 15:49   #33
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Yes, the current car I drive is a 2010 Fiat Linea Tje, previously I had a Punto and had a scary accident where the car was a total loss and i walked out with a small scratch. FIAT built like a tank and protects one the same way.
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Old 25th June 2018, 16:46   #34
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

I drive my Dzire 2017 mostly in Bangalore city. Rarely do I take it out on the highway. With ABS and Airbags I feel fairly safe. But am I scared about some other car hitting me on the highway and my car taking a major impact: Hell Yes!

Having driven Palio and Punto for most part of the last decade, I understand this scary feeling on the highway is given but I am trying to come to terms with the Dzire as my main driving is within the city.

Last edited by GTO : 26th June 2018 at 10:23. Reason: Poorly typed post
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Old 25th June 2018, 18:13   #35
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

I had read the "Baleno~Tin Can" thread and felt puzzled. How would anybody know how safe a car is? Crashing it is a way to know a little about how safe it is. But even then, real-world crashes won't tell us what we need to know.

I think what we're talking about is confidence in one's car; let me tell you of a colleague's 2012 Wagon R which was riding on 6 year old cracked and worn tyres up until I pointed it out and helped him buy new ones last month.

Also consider my Uncle's car; he had never changed the OEM fitted-tyres on his 2009 Swift Vxi and I made him change them last week. The tread was in a woeful state with an uneven contact patch on 3 tyres and complete tread loss on all 4 tyres.

My colleague and my uncle would have remained blissfully unaware of the likely fate that awaited them if they were to go on the highway.

I don't know how anyone can feel safe or otherwise in their car. It is said that conventional cars with IC engines have ~ 20,000 moving parts, any of which can go wrong anytime. Even if you have airbags, you need to collide with objects in a certain way that'll trigger them. ABS helps, ESP even more so. Seat-belts are lifesavers when used and the car needs to have been maintained properly. This is all we can know.

Anyway, my only point of worry in my 2018 TUV 3OO is the combined risk of 75 Aspect Ratio'ed tyres, the very high CG and the lack of an ESP. I will keep doing everything in my power to keep the tyres in good condition.

Last edited by locusjag : 25th June 2018 at 18:27.
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Old 25th June 2018, 18:32   #36
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

My previous car was a Punto, which gave me immense feeling of safety. My current car is an Octavia, which has many more safety features than the Punto (yet, for me, lacks the same "built like a tank" feeling of the Punto). However, I I feel safe now as I did in the Punto.

Having said that, I think that the car is only a part of the equation. I have had a couple of "red mist" incidents in the past while driving the Punto. Thinking back, those were probably the only unsafe moments I spent in the Punto. I am a much calmer driver now due to advancing age, driving experience and also:

- when driving in Finland, the driving manners of everyone around is good and it rubs off on me too
- when driving in India while on vacation, I always think "I can't afford to get into trouble" and drive defensively

Of course, some unexpected/unpleasant experiences can occur on the roads at any time. But, if we think about it too much and feel unsafe, we will not be able to enjoy driving.
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Old 25th June 2018, 19:04   #37
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Our feeling inspires the way we drive the car or rather the way we tackle the situation.
Feeling safe is a state of mind.

My uncle insanely drove around in his Omni for many years; never did he say that it was unsafe. Never did he meet any major incident.

We might have number of safety features in our car, of we might have none. If we can’t handle the situation in the right manner, we are done for it.
Search the forum for swift Vdi Brake issues, you will find abundant grumbles. I have contributed to that as well. But at no time did I feel unsafe while in the car.

I believe in a simple mantra: You feel safe, you inevitably drive safe.
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Old 25th June 2018, 20:10   #38
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Voted yes.
I have done over 70k in my preowned Forester (2004 model) in 8 years. I have never stayed with a single car (they were all sold in 3 years with 30-40 k on the odo) primarily because of the sense of safety/security it provides.
  • Solid construction
  • Looong bonnet (yes almost contessa like)
  • Planted feel coming from low slung body with all-wheel drive .
  • Stories about Forester owners have survived roll-over and collisions

Hope to upgrade to a Volvo someday
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Old 25th June 2018, 20:30   #39
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prathiiik View Post
.

However, sometimes, due to budget constraints or other factors, we tend to buy the lower, less equipped variants of the vehicle and we don't really feel safe while driving or being driven in the car.

Also, a lot of us judge the crash safety of cars by inspecting the sheet metal of the car. Doing this makes you assume that your car isn't well built, or rather, term it as a 'TIN - CAN'. Even if your car is equipped with a lot of safety features, the thickness of the sheet metal turns out to be the ultimate deciding factor for many.

So BHPians,
Does your car make you feel safe when you're driving or being driven in? Or rather,
Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?
I feel safe behind both of my cars. City & Baleno. First, we need to understand what goes on behind the safety of a car. It is not always the thickness of metal sheet door which decides the car's safety. The car's braking capabilities, handling, tyre size, driving manners etc - a lot goes in deciding how safe a car is.

It is not that the lower variants are not equipped with safety features. Just, for example, All Nexa cars from base variants are equipped with ABS and Driver/Passenger airbags. Instead of manufacturer's taking this initiative, I feel the government should make it compulsory for them to have safety features across all variants.

PS - More than the car it is the driver who needs to be responsible as well while driving than just relying on the fact of how strongly built his car is or how many safety features it is equipped with. I felt safe in my WagonR too - drove it for 10 long years without any ABS/Airbag. When I say this, I in no way, underestimate the significance and importance of good build quality and safety features.

Last edited by bluevolt : 25th June 2018 at 20:41.
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Old 26th June 2018, 07:41   #40
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

All expert has already commented on all aspect about feeling safe is based on build quality, safety kit's, driving manner's, speed limits and so on, I agree on most of them, nevertheless my psychological answer is Yes, I feel safe in my Swift ZDi (2012) with ABS and 2 airbag's, no accident with 85,000 km on Odo. Swift has gave me confident handling, never felt unsafe.
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Old 26th June 2018, 09:03   #41
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

This might sound silly, but I always drive with some degree of confidence, which actually helps me to avoid risky situations.

Panic is the worst enemy during emergency, so even if I am driving zero star rated car, I wouldn't worry about it while driving. Confidence here is not gunning the throttle in a tin-can just understanding the machine and using it.

Current ride Tigor certainly feels well built, no worries here.
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Old 26th June 2018, 09:16   #42
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Voted 'No', because presently I drive a Maruti Car (Alto K10) which has no ABS, Airbags etc. Whenever I see any big vehicle coming very fast, I feel a little scared even though I always drive cautiously.

Last edited by GTO : 26th June 2018 at 10:25. Reason: Poorly typed post
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Old 26th June 2018, 10:05   #43
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

NO.

Despite dual airbags and ABS, Brezza feels filmsy in built quality. The guage is just too thin. The doors do not even have enough momentum to overcome cabin Vacuum. Plus the absence of ISOfix mounts for kids seat makes traveling with my kid insecure.
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Old 26th June 2018, 10:18   #44
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

Both Yes & No. No car is absolutely safe and cannot be tested for all sort of conditions and accidents practically happening on the road. So, I can never be totally safe even in the 5* rated latest model.

But yes, I do feel a lot safer in my Civic. And not only due to the airbags and strong build, but also for its other passive features like excellent braking ability, ABS, very predictable handling and good stability which may help in emergency maneuvers avoiding me the trouble altogether.

On the other hand, I don't feel as safe in my other car, Maruti Zen. With hardly any safety features to boast of, I never take it out of its comfort zone. Although the handling of the car is really good being a low slung design, but given the average brakes and lighter build, now I never go beyond 60. Most of the times, this car is driven only in city limits, esp because of the ease it provides me in the city. I feel okay in city limits driving within the car's limitations as I am aware of what to expect out of it.

Regards,
Saket

Last edited by saket77 : 26th June 2018 at 10:21.
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Old 26th June 2018, 18:19   #45
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Re: Poll: Do you feel safe behind the wheel of your car?

I am surprised to find that so many actually feel safe in their cars!

All these safety features that we talk of have their own limitations. If a fully loaded lorry topples on your car or if a bus driver falls asleep at the wheel and rear ends you at a toll gate, no amount of airbags can save you.

On our roads safety is an alien word. The dangers lurking on our roads are endless. Overloaded loaded lorries, lorries carrying dangerous articles without any prescribed norms, overworked sleep deprived commercial drivers, villagers cutting paths on dividers, cows grazing on dividers, people driving on the wrong side, drunk drivers, badly designed roads and unscientific under construction roads (sometimes a fine four lane just ends without warning ) . I can just go on and on...

I do a lot of highway driving. These days after I reach my destination I congratulate myself on surviving one more journey. I don't know when my luck will run out

Last edited by Santoshbhat : 26th June 2018 at 18:22.
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