Car & Bike Do you consider Safety features when planning to buy a car ?

Key Safety features : Airbags (atleast 2 in front), ABS, Seatbelt on all seats.

Also there should be a mechanism such that without seatbelt worn the car wont start. I always wondered why Airbags are not compulsory in every car in India.
 
I went with an uncle to buy a car and asked the sales man about ESP,Air bag,crumple zones etc. They guy laughed at me and said for the speed in India all these are unnecessary. More over a blown air bag costs about RS4000 to be made workable again. That made my uncle happy knowing lack of air bags implies saving some money in case of accident and he bought the car,a Maruti. That's how usual people think!
 
It is almost impossible to convince people how important airbags and ABS and such things are. I am currently checking what car options I would go for when buying hatchback with these 2 features. Although buying a car is not on cards in the very immediate future but still doing my research on what options I have in case I want to buy one.

Money saved > Value of Life
 
raksrules said:
What seriously ? Are they sort of linked ? TIL
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The airbags are used a supplementary device to seat belts to protect your head from banging on the steering or dashboard. If you are not wearing a seatbelt then your neck can snap with the reverse impact of the rapidly inflating airbag. So the seat belt pre tensioner sensor or whatever they are called do not allow the airbags to be deployed if not in use.

Also in newer cars, like i20, there is an alarm which goes off if you have not put on your seatbelt. Some people put the seatbelt in the hook from behind their back so that this alarm does not go off. So much for safety!
 
I am pretty sure that most people here who insist on having the safety features would still have hard time (or would have almost given up) convincing their parents / relatives to consider things like airbags and ABS if and when they at considering car purchase.
 
raksrules said:
It is almost impossible to convince people how important airbags and ABS and such things are. I am currently checking what car options I would go for when buying hatchback with these 2 features. Although buying a car is not on cards in the very immediate future but still doing my research on what options I have in case I want to buy one.
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The car scene in India become so dynamic in the last 5-6 years, that this exercise would not help you much. The number of cars that are launched in a year is quite impressive now. Gone are the days when we just had to choose between Maruti and Hyundai. Start your research at least 5-6 months before buying any car. Decide on things like petrol v/s diesel and hatchback v/s sedan. Try and focus on a few brands instead of looking at all options. Select brands based on their service, longevity, customer satisfaction, national dealer network, etc. Some popular India car forums can give you a good insight into user feedback about the cars, especially their long-term reviews. If you don't know driving, learn driving in a professional institute. If you do, just keep taking test drives to get a sense of the feel of different cars.

Happy driving!
 
I know someone with a 760li in india who asked me can i get the male seat buckle for his car from us. I send him the link of a site.
 
Yes I would consider. Unfortunately in India most manufacturers charge a bomb for the safety features. Not very surprising considering most folks do not give a damn about safety features. Even manufacturers like Hyundai sell different body types for the same car in India and Europe. Not only airbags, abs etc... there are compromises on the quality of the material used to manufacture cars. Maruti 800 for example is a bad joke in the name of a car.
 
Honestly, and against public sentiments, I do not consider safety features, or infact, any additional features, be it comfort or safety while buying a car. The criteria I look out for are a good mill and drive train, driving dynamics (ride quality and handling) and looks. I'm a bit finicky about having lots of electrical gizmos in the car and thus , more often than not, end up buying base variants.
 
One thing I make sure is to use the basic safety measures that almost all the cars come preloaded with - the safety belt. The safety measure are there to save you from accidents and accidents dont occur well informed.
 
Edit: Disregard my previous post.
I had a long chat with myself over a cup of tea. (Yep I do talk to and argue with myself, and sometimes quite loudly at that)
I now find safety features overrated and useless.

Reason: I am a biker at heart. And if I ride a 70 BHP 650cc 250km/hr bike without any protection.(well technically the jacket and the boots are not protection enough), why the hell do I need ABS and Airbags in a 1000 cc 140km/hr car. And the car shell will be safer than the bike in the event of a crash anyway.
 
@AMG

I have to agree with you on some extent now. Yes safety features can be very useful but I have a feeling that for a strictly city car, it can be skimped (if and only if one is on budget).
Like for example a family consisting of husband, wife and a kid are far more safer in an alto than on a bike.
So yes may be you can say relative to what you are using the next step can be a safer option as I mentioned in above alto example.
That is reason I am considering grand i10 as well now for the AT car I want to buy.
 
Kneo said:
@raksrules - I just hope you don't have any incident during your car ownership when you regret not getting one with safety features. Drive safe.
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I know I know. As also we have sort of halted our decision to buy a car as something else has come up. But yes if money permits, we shall buy one with ABS and 2 airbags minimum.
 
raksrules said:
But yes if money permits, we shall buy one with ABS and 2 airbags minimum.
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ABS is a must and so are airbags.
And also the Electronic break force distribution system. EBD as it is called in Maruti.
its just a fraction of second between stopping the car and getting into an accident. Especially for new drivers.
 
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