[kozhissery]

Originally Posted by amitjha086

My wife is not reluctant to seatbelts but every time she is in passenger seat she has to be told to strap up. She has her own excuses like having to hold the baby etc. Yesterday afternoon, when we were heading out to the market, at around speed of 20 or less, I slammed the brakes hard (In a contolled way, in response to a biker making wrong turn. Moreover, this hard braking was avoidable) making her jump from the seat and reach to the dashboard. Lesson taught. That's why it's always better to show than to explain. ��

Mum, me, wife and kid always belts up.
I forced my mum into wearing it in the initial days and now she belts up as the first thing.
The story of FIL is totally different. He was very reluctant to wear seat belts. But some 10 years back, thanks to the innova taxi driver he now always wears seat belts. We were on a vacation in himachal pradesh and while traveling FIL dozed off after lunch and the driver to avoid a dog braked hard and FIL was thrown on to the dashboard. Since then he always uses seat belts no matter where he sits - Lesson learnt .

[MaheshY1]

Shoot for the stars. Land on the moon.

Why is Maruti stuck with drivers wearing seatbelts? When are they planning to move to the rear seats? Let's start embarrassing the hell out of back seat occupants not buckling up.

I'm not ready to absorb the shock of a 60kg projectile hitting me on my back. Being prepared to manage my own weight is already more than what I can handle. That's why I have my son's child seat locked and loaded behind me.

What of the ISOFIX mounts? Ha'bout a survey to find out how many of its customers use a child seat?

Originally Posted by amitjha086

Lesson taught.

I had to hit the brakes hard to prevent crashing into a truck driving at 60km/h, wrong side, on a 2-lane section of the national highway around a fast curve.

That was a close shave. My toddler jumped out of her hands, hit his head on the dash. She wasn't buckled up either (using the child as an excuse.) So her head then banged against the kid's head from the other side.

That was enough to convince her that Rs. 6k isn't a lot, and we should order the seat I've wanted to get for over two months.

People around me always argued that when the kid isn't happy to sit in the lap while travelling, how will he sit quietly when he's isolated from everyone. Turns out, he loved his cushy seat with the padded 5-point harness. To this date, he insists on sitting in his place and won't shut up until he hears that 'click' of the buckle.

[VivOverland]

My family is always buckled up while driving. All passengers. Period. We use a child seat for my 5 year old (rated for correct weight class) and a seat belt for my older one. My wife and I are buckled up in the front. In fact, we are very specific to only buy cars with ABS and airbags. This was a journey, and did not happen overnight. My wife was the most resistant to the seat belt. We instituted a 'tickling rule' which applies to offenders, and tickles must be provided by the belted passengers. The kids love it, and in fact, watch out for opportunities to tickle! A fun way of making safety part of the daily drive.

Despite all this, I believe we are still unsafe on our roads. I can only take control of what I influence. Defensive driving and high car care standards are also important to reduce the risk of injury or death while on the road - any road. Accidents are not avoided, just because one is 'close to home'.

At the end of the day, people are responsible for their own safety. You can wait for the government to act, but there is lots we can do to educate ourselves first. Very often the best way to avoid an accident, is avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time! With over 160,000 people dying on our roads every year - the probability of an accident happening to you or me, is incredibly high. TeamBHP'ers, being regular users of highways are at higher risk. Basis a recent Indian Express study, if you are part of the following demographics, you are at the highest risk. Do something about it!

1) Living in Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore (the top 3 most deaths in 2016).
2) Driving in non highway areas (i.e. in the city / rural roads).
3) Speeding (crashes, unnoticed potholes, speed breakers).

We need to stop pointing fingers, and do something ourselves to promote safe driving - this is what I do.

[N4Nikunj]

I must say that people still feel that if they are wearing seatbelt, in case of an accident they can't escape faster from the car.

Ever since I have bought my car I have made a habit of wearing seatbelts, no matter who is driving or where I'm sitting - front seat or rear seat. One of my dad's friends recently bought a Maruti Baleno Alpha. They came to show us their car. When dad was going for quick spin of the car as soon as they opened driver door I found that the seatbelt is locked in place

When I asked them why they have put the seatbelt like this, they said they don't like irritating warning chime that stays on for 4 minutes. But he said that he always wears seatbelts when he goes for a highway drive.

Who will teach them that buying car with airbags will not save you from crash until you are wearing seat belts.

This is how people aware about seat belts in india.

[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.

[i74js]

Safety has to be a non-negotiable precondition for travel.

Seat-belt culture is followed to the core in west wherein everyone sitting in a car (and I mean everyone) is buckled up. It is part of their reflexes. I have kept only one buckle at the rear seat as we are three people using the car and a university friend from Denmark visited us last winters; we made a plan for a trip to Jaipur so a total of four in the car. The moment he sat, he searched for the buckle after pulling the belt !

I had to unpack the whole trunk, fold the seat, bring the buckle in front to ensure that he is comfortable with belt on, I felt bad for this absentmindedness for starting unprepared that day. I am sure someone else (from within India) traveling with us on that day would have even thought of buckling up ! Since then I have kept it the same way.

I am sure 5 years ago, this number would have been 10% (which now stands at 25%). I hope this improves quickly as the vehicle population is growing exponentially.

Things I have noticed on roads:
- Helmet without strap
- Wearing helmet in a different fashion (just putting it on in a typical angle wherein they can see the road from below the full face portion)

- Sitting in the front with full reclined seat and resting feet on dashboard; not sure even if seat belts are on, how will it behave during a collision
- Front passenger buckled up with kid in lap and more so in many cases these cars have front airbag !!!
- Policemen (99.99% of cases without helmet and without seat belts) - they are basically immortals!

- People taking the flight trying to fool flight staff about their seat belts on / removing them early both during takeoff and landing !

[Turbohead]

Atleast 25% is better than 0%

I believe the major reason why people are reluctant to wear seatbelts is due to the lack of knowledge of the amount of protection given by those regular looking woven fibres!

The advantages of seatbelts in city traffic needs to be documented! That's where I believe success lies!

Recently a middle aged NRI gentleman scolded me for asking him to wear seatbelts!

He asked "Why do you want me to wear seatbelts? This is not America, where it's compulsory; this is India!"

I was shocked. Didn't expect this from an American resident!

After a few seconds, I replied, "Exactly! We're in India! There's a good chance we could get killed here! Seatbelts are more of a need! This is not America!"


Here's my latest trick: Asking the passenger to wear the seatbelt cause airbags, if deployed, can kill for sure! Works like a charm!

[sohu9]

Originally Posted by amitjha086

...every time she is in passenger seat she has to be told to strap up. She has her own excuses like having to hold the baby etc. ...

Hope that your baby is strapped up, and always riding in the back seat.

This is another area where we are lacking as a society. I have seen infants and babies riding in the front seat - and even worse - on the drivers lap .

[amitjha086]

Originally Posted by sohu9

Hope that your baby is strapped up, and always riding in the back seat.

This is another area where we are lacking as a society. I have seen infants and babies riding in the front seat - and even worse - on the drivers lap .

Unfortunately I couldn't find a baby seat here in my town in Nepal. Found a few on Indian retail websites. Heard that it's available in Kathmandu As well. As the kid is just 15 months old, she is being adjusted in the lap. I'm in the hunt for baby seat though. Can you tell me for what age range baby seat is recommended?

[asingh1977]

I would even say 25% to be too high for people who say "yay" to wearing seat belts. Most people wear their seat belt as a liability, and take them off with a flourish once they have crossed the last "point" where they think they can be caught -- without one.

Professionals (read drivers); keep the belts always connected, and just loop it over like a cowboy wearing his poncho, when needed. It is so funny and hilarious. Now even civilians have started to do this. There is no sense of safety.

[ads11]

Originally Posted by MaheshY1

People around me always argued that when the kid isn't happy to sit in the lap while travelling, how will he sit quietly when he's isolated from everyone. Turns out, he loved his cushy seat with the padded 5-point harness. To this date, he insists on sitting in his place and won't shut up until he hears that 'click' of the buckle.

I'll have to back you up here. My parents still tell me how as a baby, and then a toddler, as soon as they'd buckle me into the child seat and set off, I would nod off sound asleep. I'll admit the habit of falling asleep in a moving vehicle is something I'm still guilty of at a moments notice to this day (provided I trust the driver). Also the benefit of the child seat I remember was that I could look out the window and see what was outside (we had a 2 door Mk2 VW Golf at the time - so not even the kind of high window lines you see now).

In fact the whole child seat thing was so drilled into me as a toddler that now I get rather unreasonably uncomfortable when I see child seats in the front passenger seat. I was compelled to ask one parent one day who laughed and told me that seats have come a long way since the early 90s and that these ones are designed for this too. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that if as a nation we are to change this it needs to be drilled in at kindergarten level. My dad used to grumble about what I was going to school for but alot of the rather esoteric things pretty much comprise a lot of the basic life skills such as always looking both ways before crossing a road. Maybe before fighting over who built the Taj Mahal in the war over children's minds, I think the real practical long term policy that'll go a long way is codifying basic safety principles into national school curriculums.

Disclaimer: I will add I am entirely unfamiliar with the Indian schooling system so would not know if this is already in place. It's simply my suggestion borne out of frustration at the laissez faire attitudes to safety that seem to be the norm.

[sohu9]

Originally Posted by amitjha086

As the kid is just 15 months old, she is being adjusted in the lap. I'm in the hunt for baby seat though. Can you tell me for what age range baby seat is recommended?

Baby car seat is recommended right from the very first trip home from the hospital! I remember the look on the face of my mother when I mentioned that to her for my new-born. Ideally they should be rear-facing till they are 2 years of age, in the middle seat of the back row. There are many sites and youtube videos on how to go about it.

Till the time you procure one, please ask your wife to seat in the back seat while holding your young one. The airbag impact in the front seat can be fatal for young ones.

[jalajprakash]

Personally I feel almost uncomfortable without putting on my seatbelt, since without it I feel like I'm rolling around and moving separately from the car during turns, braking and acceleration. Usually belt up in the rear seat as well just so that I'm not thrown around and also force my rear passengers to put their belts on if we're on a highway.

Recently visited Balotra in Rajasthan and it almost seemed as if helmets and seatbelts never made it here. When I belted up out of habit, the person driving the car said, "Arre yahan koi nai check karega, lagane ki koi zarurat nahi".

[GutsyGibbon]

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.

The only thing that can be done from here is to catch them young, and drill it down. Our generation that grew up in the 80s, or 90s did not have highways, fast cars or seatbelts. We now do, and the schools should make car safety, and road safety a big deal. My toddler would promptly remind and examine the seatbelt of both his grand parents every time they got into the car. Needless to say, he would freak out if he is not buckled in correctly, and the car moved an inch. When we visited India, and he was offered a lap ride on the driver's seat, he ran inside like a bat out of hell. All of this was certainly from his kindergarten teacher.

[ghodlur]

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?

Why can't the govt and the manufacturers come with mandatory checks like engine start only when seat belts are in their slots. There is already a warning when the seat belts are not worn. Wire up such that engine do not start unless all seat belt loops are checked.

I do know smart Indians would come up with a loop hole for the same but at least there will be a start. Providing a whole lot of curtain bags, high end HU's etc do not add any value unless basics are enforced.