[Rough Square]

I kind of differ on this topic.

Today I own a Bolero (7 seater), but back in my college days we had a Maruti Zen at home. At times about 7 of my friends would cram in and we would drive all the way till Nandi Hills. We could'nt leave 1 or 2 of us behind.

I mean, affordablity is a major criteria. Call taxis are hard to find and the regular taxis are an expensive alternative. I guess many us are left with no option apart from carrying more people than the specified number.

End of the day I feel its okay to do so in City traffic - bumper to bumper traffic.

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by V-16

I have seen many a car with their rear hatch open with kids sitting facing you with their legs hanging out if the car. I shudder at the thought of some car following them, tailgating them or even slightly tapping the rear end. The knees and bones would surely get smashed even if it were a 2-3 kmph hit.

What if the car brakes suddenly and the hatch comes down hard ?

[lancer_rit]

Unfortunate situation in India - as usual, safety is not a consideration or the law. What is required is for the police to fine these violators because they _are_ breaking the law. This may cause some of them to not do this while others get what they deserve ...

[team suzuki]

Originally Posted by MaxX

Yes, very dangerous..

Here in Pune I regularly see 3 or even 4 people on bikes! Then there are the trucks or vans filled with people being pushed around on the bumpy stretches. Not many people care about safety (people look at me weird if I wear the seatbelt in their car :P ) and people try to economize on everything. Its sad but cant he helped when there is complete apathy towards safety!

I too have experienced this in pune, if i wear the seatbelt my friends tell me,''Tu kya racing ke liye jara kya,ye pune hai bhai seatbelt police tak nahin pehen ta,tu kyu tension lera''.

[Mpower]

Dosent the SUMO come with company fitted seats in the back? Same location.

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

is the "diesel" sticker on the boot stock? - i mean i have never seen a 220 with a diesel sticker but with a cdi sticker.

Must be from the pre-CDI days

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

What if the car brakes suddenly and the hatch comes down hard ?

One can check with Viddy. He knows how to survive in this kind of situation.

[Samurai]

One should wait at school gates during closing time. Various record winning feats are accomplished daily without any fanfare. Autos with 15 kids, WagonRs with 20 kids, etc.

People simply don't have the concept of safety. The person who talks about safety is mocked as being sissy. We don't let any two-wheeler without helmet to enter our office gates. They have to park outside, only exception being government officials. Recently one pillion riding employee had to be hospitalized after falling off the scooty, she was hit on the back of the head. Now even pillion riders have been asked to wear helmet.

[amit]

Originally Posted by GTO

Fat chance of survival for those two in the hatch. Who would be to blame? The two idiots crouched in the back? Or the other 5 in the car for letting this happen? Me? Or an absolute lack of awareness?

You would be to blame. The media would report this as "Speeding SUV Rams into car."

[KVS]

Is not our advertisements to be blamed for this (at least partly)?

We have a Car advertisement showing entire football team or a bunch of school kids in one car. It is illegal to have so many adults/kids in one car. If they have to show the space then they can show it many different ways.

People can feel (by looking at the advertisement) it is OK to have may people in the car.

KVS

[amitoj]

Heh. Try counting the number of people in THIS M800!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by nemo

Btw, were you able to actually spot 7 people?

Yup, 5 in the main cabin area. Look closely at the first picture, you will see a head in the middle of the rear bench.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

I have seen poor school children cramped in autorikshaws in Nasik with their school bags hanging outside the vehicle on rear view mirror stalks.

Originally Posted by MaxX

Here in Pune I regularly see 3 or even 4 people on bikes!

These two examples, though still not permissible, are probably due to economic constraints. However, the women in this car didn't seem to be short of any $$$.

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

is the "diesel" sticker on the boot stock?

Yes, the W202 C Class wore "diesel" badges from the factory.

Originally Posted by Rough Square

I kind of differ on this topic.

End of the day I feel its okay to do so in City traffic - bumper to bumper traffic.

RoughSquare, you may have had your reasons, but that's not justified. You had severely put the safety of your passengers into jeopardy by carrying more than the manufacturer-recommended limits. Firstly, your car would handle vaguely due to that additional load. Plus, in the event of an accident, God help those passengers!

Just the fact that you are posting today means that nothing went seriously wrong, and I am glad for that, but you wouldn't be saying its okay if there had been a fatality due to overloading.

Originally Posted by Mpower

Dosent the SUMO come with company fitted seats in the back? Same location.

Many SUVs & MUVs do. However, they are designed to carry rear passengers on the last row. Hence, the chassis would have been strengthened at that point to cope with the additional load. Plus, rear-ending a Sumo vis a vis a WagonR would lead to extremely different outcomes.

Originally Posted by amit

You would be to blame. The media would report this as "Speeding SUV Rams into car."

LOL! I see you didn't miss the medias favorite word : "Speeding"!

[ghostrider]

I pretty much agree with GTO, but...

When we were kids in college, cars were a luxury we weren't granted by our parents on an everyday basis. Not because our families couldn't afford them, but because our parents thought it was necessary for their kids not to grow up spoilt.
So... whenever someone did have a car and we were going out, we'd all pile in. I remember 10 of us in a friend's Omni, 9 of us in a friend's soft-top Gypsy, and no less than 7 in an 800.

Were we incredibly foolish in doing so? Yes.
Did we ever think of leaving someone behind? No.
If we could go back in time would we do it again? Probably.

I'm not justifying putting too many people in one car, I'm just saying sometimes it just seems like the only thing to do.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Rough Square

End of the day I feel its okay to do so in City traffic - bumper to bumper traffic.

Bumper to bumper traffic is equally dangerous for these situations. One silly knock by a slightly distracted driver (with the mobile in his hand) is all that is required for a couple of people to lose their limbs. Getting to a place is not as important as losing your limbs or your life.

[raghu.t.k]

As many have mentioned, its quite common site to see auto and omnis "stuffed" with kids.

But its only after I came to hyd, did I see reguar autos packed with 5+1 if they are the s/w engineers, else the max space is utilised if they are construction workers, and you really need to see it to beleive it. This can be seen from Madhapur - Manikonda / Gachibowli, and has to cross atleast 4 manned intersections. These autos have to co-exists along with the company cabs and company buses who are a tribe best left undescribed.

[Path_Finder]

Valid points. I pretty much agree, but…
What about over-crowded public transport systems? Footboards in city busses and suburban trains. 7 in a Wagon-R is better than that – that is how it compares!