[Xeno]

Hello,

I am sure all of you are concerned about your safety, i.e wearing seatbelts, driving properly, keeping the car in good condition (tyres, brakes etc)

Many also apparently "increase the safety" of their cars by putting Bars and Grills in front of the car


Now these bars are more like a hollow wall of steel. Now imagine if you hit a pedestrian at 40kmph, it'd be enough to smash the rib bones and the pedestrian also may be dragged under the car because the bars have a flat profile || < like that which does not deflect the pedestrian away from the car.

In Europe the NCAP tests are not conducted only for the car occupant safety, but also for the pedestrian


if you see the above image, a pedestrian - car impact is shown, and where a person's body parts will be in contact with which part of the car's front. The pedestrian gets a "cushioned" impact ( that's why the front bumpers are curved and so is the bonnet) and is deflected off the car and does not crash into the windshield of the car.

NOw when you install one of those crash guards , the guards will prevent the pedestrian from getting deflected and also the pedestrian will have a nasty impact with the bars which could cause more damage.

Also Installation of such bars does affect the safety of the car because the bars do not allow the crumple zone of the car to bear the impact. It will result in a much more rigid crash since its directly attached to the chassis of the car.

Kindly post your suggestions on this aspect.

Cheers
Xeno

[Zenster]

Hey Xeno. Nice observation bro! I like speeding once in a while and hence keep my safety and my cars safety in mind, but sometimes feel that we shud consider the pedestrians more carefully as well.
Do you know of any cars that have been tested and found safe for pedestrians? any videos of the test like the crash test.

Also we are two 'Newbie's ' Chatting, i'd like to see what the experts say about this explanation given by you.

[Zenster]

HI again i asked the question and then found the answer on

http://www.autonews.com/article/2009...901039989/1181

also attaching pic of the Citreon Car with 4 Start Rating for Pedestrian Rating..

[aaggoswami]

The cars in developed markets, specially European countries, concentrate a lot on offering good pedestrian safety. The laws in Europe state that there must be 10cm space between engine and hood. Also to score good and meeting pedestrian safety norms, the car's front overhang are getting a bit longer and sometimes space is also kept between front end components and bumper.

These cars are mostly not available in India.

[amitoj]

In India, the one and only safety feature in a car for a pedestrian is the horn. Use it.

[Xeno]

^ haha. well the horn is an essential part of the Indian driver's Armour. But pedestrians cross the road without looking at the last moment they see you coming and they go " " and freeze in their paths, and *bang* and a crowd gathers

I have seen two incidents of such impacts and well they do need hospitalisation. and yeah you'll be a pedestrian sometime or the other ! Not only most of the cars here are more [box] profiled at the front, e.g (MS Omni, WagonR, Tata Sumo, Toyota Qualis etc) these cars anyhow would be the worst case scenarios for pedestrian impacts.

for example of cars that are available in India, here's an extract for pedestrian safety from the NCAP website for the Honda Civic which has got a 3 star for pedestrian safety

Pedestrian protection
Honda have made no changes that would influence the results of the pedestrian tests so the results of the car tested in 2006 have been carried over here. Both the bumper and the leading edge of the bonnet scored maximum points for the protection they offered to the legs of pedestrians. The part of the bonnet likely to be struck by a child's head was also rated predominantly 'fair'.

link
Honda Civic NCAP Results

Not only will making your car pedestrian friendly be good for the fella who might come into your way, it'd also save from public wrath. because whatever the pedestrian is.. its only YOUR fault.

more on this later.. need to think more.

[phamilyman]

Absolutely. That is the only rationale i found for the kinda bonnet/bumper of the Swift.

But it still doesnt account for the useless boot door of the dZire!

[alankarm@sancha]

PLEASE, CAN SOMEONE COMPETENT ENOUGH COMPARE THESE CARS IN THIS RESPECT: i10, i20, Santro, Swift, Ritz, A-star, Wagon R, Estillo, Alto, Indica, Vista, Beat, Spark, Jazz, Fabia, Figo, Micra etc. Did I miss any?

These hatchbacks are the most sold cars in India, and the pedestrian issues are most predominant in cities/urban areas, where hatches (whether premium or regular) are the preferred cars.

[pvnair]

Pedestrian safety has become more important in all developed countries and there exists strict laws which car manufacturers should follow in EU, Japan and US. China is also introducing the same from 2013 and is suppose to incorporate the EU laws mainly. Unlike the Occupant safety testing, Pedestrian safety is mainly carried out using individual models of Head, Leg and Thigh Impactors. Out of which Head Impact over Bonnet and Windscreen base area are considered more critical, as it is the main cause of deaths in Pedestrian accidents. As the car buyers may not take the interest in paying extra for the pedestrian safety features, our government should consider taking initiatives in introducing strict laws and insurance companies should promote pedestrian friendly cars with reduced premiums, as it may reduce the critical injuries during pedestrian accidents thus by reducing the insurance claims.