[ObsessedByFIAT]

Yes, and a very reassuring one at that!
I drive a EcoSport titanium and it does give be me that cocooned feeling. Have been on multiple highway drives. Sometimes covering over 1k km in a day along with family. The way the doors close with a reassuring thud, the heaviness of doors while closing/opening them, the sound insulation etc. all goes a long way. Have also had some close encounters. I was doing probably around 100kmph and a bull decided to jump the median. The only damage I had is a broken side view mirror mechanism which stops it from touching the window glass when closed.
Also had an incident during holi time while I was on a fun trip with family. A villager decided to hit the bonnet with a hockey stick real hard. Damage? On a small dent mark.

I also drive a Nano XTA, strictly for city and office runs in bumper to bumper traffic. As long as the max speed is around 50-60kmph, I feel secure. Nano anyways was not a highway animal to begin with and I would surely not try to make it one. However, if an opportunity strikes, I am more than sure (though not advisable) it can complete the golden quadrilateral run with ease.

So, be it my EcoSport or the Nano, I feel I am in safe hands!

[bhavik.1991]

Voted 'Yes'.

Highway duties are taken care by Jetta - Excellent breaks & handling, built like a tank, almost non-existent body roll & 5 star safety kit including 6 airbags, ABS-EBD, ESP, HHC

I use Vitara Brezza within city - 2 airbags, ABS-EBD, car like manners & decent build quality.

[skchettry]

Good topic for discussion. But I wonder if I say that I don't feel safe in my car, the question that should come to my mind is - what do I do next? Keep driving it with the same fear? Isn't that dangerous? Or limit all drives to city area (if I live in one) where speed is usually very limited?
On another note, not all buyers (in India, at least) give priority to safety features while buying cars. That's why the government has to step in to ensure all vehicles come factory fitted with basic safety features. Now what is basic, we will have to define in concrete terms.

[karthi.stark]

In my case, it would be a Yes and No.

Yes, for my Innova Crysta GX AT: 3 airbags, ABS, EBD, and a 5 star ASEAN NCAP rating - you cannot ask for more! Toyota is known to give a serious consideration to the aspects of safety.

No, for my Maruti Suzuki Celerio VXI AMT: no airbags, no ABS, a zero in the global NCAP rating. However, I'm not too bothered about it as it is used only for city commutes.

Regards,
Karthi.stark

[Arjun Reddy]

Yes, the current cars I use is a 2012 Fiat Punto and a W205 250d.

The Punto though down in the latest crash test ratings because of the missing features and changing norms,still feels in destructible. Known and see some serious crashes of the Punto and friends and people have just walked away.

I for sure would not buy a car now without doing my safety study.

[Added_flavor]

I'm sorry, but this is such a pointless and vague thread! Irrespective of the car owned, you should feel safe in a car based on your confidence as a safe and alert driver and NOT based on the crash worthiness of the car itself!

Irrespective of the safety rating of the car, a good and safe driver mitigates the risk of an accident by at least 95%, IMO. The rest 5% are factors uncontrollable by the driver and what we can term as 'freak' scenarios, which are purely defined by luck.

Aren't there deaths reported in 5* safety rated cars? Aren't there deaths reported in cars that close doors with a (A Team Bhp favourite) 'thud'?

To summarise, I feel safe in any car because I understand the limits of the car and more importantly I understand my own limits and don't try to push them. Safety ratings are just a reference point and they don't make me or the occupants of my car invincible to death due to stupidity.

[asr245]

I think the question should be "are you safe behind the wheel of your car?"

And the answer would depend on the speed you drive at. Just ask Princess Diana, or Fast-n-Furious Paul Walker.

80-ish kmph is what i considered safe-ish in my city, 60ish in my wagonr. No data, just "feeling". But I am pretty sure that most India made cars would fail miserably in crash tests (especially Jap & Korean). And considering how we drive - No.

Doesn't matter what car or bus (or even cycle) I am in, I always pray to reach home safely.

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

I'm sorry, but this is such a pointless and vague thread! Irrespective of the car owned, you should feel safe in a car based on your confidence as a safe and alert driver and NOT based on the crash worthiness of the car itself!

To summarise, I feel safe in any car because I understand the limits of the car and more importantly I understand my own limits and don't try to push them. Safety ratings are just a reference point and they don't make me or the occupants of my car invincible to death due to stupidity.

Very well said. Pointless & vague. (to put it mildly)

Originally Posted by AMG Power

If you don't feel safe in your car the problem is with you - NOT your car.

Only an idiot will buy a car in which he does not feel safe.
So, if you don't feel safe in your car you need to change your mental make up, not your car.

Really? I know my wagonR was not a safe car. Wouldn't have helped even if it had 6 airbags as the structure itself was not safe. Crash tests proved it (even Scorpio failed those - for structural integrity). So I should change my mental make-up? & not my car?

[V.Narayan]

Yes I feel safe in my cars. Never want to say it too soon but it is so. Safety starts at three points - (1) when you select he car you will buy i.e. what features and structural strength, crumple zone etc. does the car have designed in (2) how you drive - discipline, alertness, not talking on the cell phone, lane changes etc. (3) the speed you drive at with reference to the road you are on and traffic around you. Safety is I believe 80 to 90% in your control and 20 to 10% not. And this is what I have drilled into my drivers and kids. Making them watch the videos on T-BHP is actually a great way of teaching them what idioticness to expect on the road. The Lexus and Volvo are not driven at more than 60 to 80 kmph in Delhi-NCR and not much more than 80 or 90 kmph even on Yamuna Expressway which I frequent every week on work. The Jazz is rarely taken above 60 or 70 kmph.

Fact as we all know that aggressive driving does not get you to any place meaningfully faster than a steady speed.

When you pilot an aircraft your mind is always a few precious minutes ahead of the aircrafts physical position and status. Same should be in driving. But if we are on our phone (even hands free) or rocking to loud music or day dreaming we have shaved precious 0.75 to 1.5 seconds off our reaction time. And that is all the difference.

[libranof1987]

Yes; but only until as much as things are under the car's or my control.

I do what I can do to feel safe:
1) Buy the variant with all the safety features possible: my EcoSport has six airbags, ABS and EBD; the Tiago has two airbags and ABS. Heck, I chose the Tiago XZA (with two airbags but AMT) over the similarly priced Micra XL (with CVT but just one airbag).

The same with my parents' car: top-most variants, safety-wise

2) Buy a car that is built well (let's not get into the tin-can debate again)

3) Follow safe-driving practices: follow traffic rules, regulations, control speed

But, there's nothing the car (with its safety features) or I (through my driving) can do against the many surprises that Indian roads (or India) in general throws at us.

The last few cars we've bought; the emphasis has been on safety. That has allowed us to feel safe behind the wheel.

[ashis89]

I voted No.

My only car is a WagonR. And over years, I have learnt to appreciate weight and build quality of cars (I haven't learnt from any accident). I don't like Maruti cars now and can't buy them in future as they won't give me the confidence that I have started looking now.

My experience comes from driving and travelling in loads of cars from almost all manufacturer in India. My comfortable speed in any car is 90-110 kmph, nothing more. Even a Nano can do these speeds but some cars will keep me relaxed while few others make me nervous. I find all the 'lighter' cars can be tossed around while a heavier car remains more composed when there's road undulation while doing speeds. For example, one windy day my WagonR was pulling strongly to the left on the highway and that pull was coming in bouts with every gust of wind, that was a scary experience.

Regarding crash tests, they are done for specific scenarios - frontal, partial overlap and maybe, side crash. What about rear crash or three quarters or roll-over? Will the roof hold up if the car topples? Are the quarter panels and ABC pillars strong enough?

Even though I don't feel secure in my car, I still drive in city, highways or hills. I have understood its limits and use it accordingly. From a pure economics perspective, I don't feel like changing it now even if I can afford to. I just hope others on the road respect my space and don't bump into me.

Originally Posted by asr245

Really? I know my wagonR was not a safe car. Wouldn't have helped even if it had 6 airbags as the structure itself was not safe. Crash tests proved it (even Scorpio failed those - for structural integrity). So I should change my mental make-up? & not my car?

If you can afford to buy 'peace', please go ahead. Else know the limits of your car and use it accordingly.

Originally Posted by smartcat

But certain situations on the road makes feel unsafe -

1) Driving close to a flyover pillar or Metro pillar when it is still under construction
2) Driving under a large tree branch when it is rainy & windy
3) When a fast bus makes a sweeping turn in the ghats, and goes back to his lane whizzing past my car.

+1.
These are so true.

[KiloAlpha]

I voted YES. And my YES vote has absolutely nothing to do with the car I drive. I could be driving a tin can SS80, and I will still feel safe. Moreover, I will make passengers in my car feel safe as well.

The major factor determining safety, in my case, is not engineering - road or car. It is an attitude. A way of life. Safety for me is all between my ears. I read the road, traffic, weather, etc situation and adjust my driving style accordingly for the minimum risk. Constantly. Its like adaptive suspension that "reads" the road and adjust damping rate 60 times per second. I do that constant adjustment of driving style to avoid accidents. The risk of me having an accident, therefore, is already 90% lower than that of the rest of the population because of the safety mindset.

[gkveda]

I think it is a psychological question. Secondly, it is also very complex logic to answer this question since there are multiple variables that makes you feel safe/unsafe.

I feel I am safe, because, I am more confident on my driving habits and driving rather than the road conditions or the car. My driving habits are very adaptive in the sense that while driving on various kinds of roads, depending on the type of road, condition of the road, my driving style changes. (And this is true for 99% of Team BHPians who promote safe driving)

Just because, one has ARIA: 5/5 safety car, Do you think anyone will change his driving style to rash and demonized driving, irrespective of what road, is he ON? Answer is simply NO. If there are "Yes", then, No car can save him or his life. One day, he is prone to be prey of his driving habits

There were times when Maruti 800 was the max number of cars on the road and people were driving confidently even in those cars which today is called match box car with zero safety(I am sorry, if someone is offended. I really donot mean this to offend anyone)

So, in my opinion, it is NOT the car that makes you feel safe OR confident. it is the brain, driving conditions, road conditions, driving style, etc.

[abhishek46]

I drive a VW Polo 1.2 Mpi.

It's built like a rock. And it drives like a pig.

Hence, in summary, I feel very safe.

[selfdrive]

Short answer should be yes.

I drive according to the road conditions and surrounding drivers. I am quite a defensive driver, unless I get good conditions to test the A & B pedals. Tyres are checked, inflated and changed regularly. So ok for the Jazz.
The nano at home is an Activa replacement, so it feels safer than I would on a two wheeler. It does not go more than 10kms away from home (nor faster than 50 kmph) and usually stays within city traffic.

The bigger question would be asked by my car. How safe does it feel in today's traffic conditions? Extremely poor infrastructure, shoddy quality, flyovers falling like nine pins, morons with no driving or common sense, lack of proper driver training, the list goes on.

So I feel safe behind my steering wheel when I drive in some areas. In most other areas, I feel unsafe. That has little to do with the car or its features, more with everything else outside it. For example, I feel safe when I drive at 80 on the (so called) expressway. Suddenly someone whooshes past at 200, or 2 vehicles overtake me on either side and the safety bubble bursts.

I doubt if even a battle tank can protect us against such shoddy infrastructure and mainly the idiocy of other people who drive as if within a video game.

[vinayrathore]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

...precious 0.75 to 1.5 seconds off our reaction time. And that is all the difference.

Completely agree with you sir!

Driving safe vs having a safe car are two very different things. If you really want to feel safe behind that wheel, below are the two major things to do:

• Buy the safest car you can buy with your money. (max airbags, ESP, ABS etc. and Good build)
• Follow safe driving practices.

I drive the Jetta as my primary car and use it for both Highway and City runs. Although the sense of it being one of the better cars in terms of build and safety features certainly help in feeling safe, I don't ever forget that its all in my hands in the end.

We never drive even an inch without being buckled and my son is more paranoid on this then me. Never drive at speeds over the limit of the car. Maintain the car well.

On the road, I always plan ahead and constantly keep scanning for things that can go wrong in next few seconds. Trust me, those few seconds are always the difference between life and death.

So its a Yes Vote for me!