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

Probably coz they don't deploy when you are not wearing seatbelt. So not useful in India.

I did not know this. People are way too relaxed in our country when it comes to seatbelts. I just don't get it. I refuse to drive unless people sitting in my car wear their seatbelts.
 
Actually its evil of my part, but I insist on seatbelt initially if the passenger doesn't listen. I narrate horrible things that could happen to their face if it hits the glass. or how bad whiplash injury is.
 
The same people here who are strictly advocating seatbelts and airbags, let me ask you a question?

Have you ever ridden a bike? What speed? What are your chances of survival in case of a crash? Minimal? Now lets compare with you going at the same speed in a car. chances of survival. huge. So why do you need airbags?

I can understand if you are a safety freak and wouldnt touch a bike with a bargepole, but incase you are a biker?
 
The same people here who are strictly advocating seatbelts and airbags, let me ask you a question?

Have you ever ridden a bike? What speed? What are your chances of survival in case of a crash? Minimal? Now lets compare with you going at the same speed in a car. chances of survival. huge. So why do you need airbags?

I can understand if you are a safety freak and wouldnt touch a bike with a bargepole, but incase you are a biker?
On a bike, you will wear a helmet (which is a big deal between having a broken bone and death).
on a bike you fly off instead of hitting your chest on the steering and breaking your rib cage. (still dangerous but if your instincts kick in, you can have few broken bones.)
if you are sensible enough, you will wear helmet, gloves, jacket and jeans.

btw, you can stop a bike in half of the distance if you are experienced enough. crashing at 10km lower speed will improve your chances of living exponentially. and you have a 270degree view compared to cars.

so, in simple words, you need air bags so that you dont break your rib cage and puncture your heart.
 
1: On a bike, you will wear a helmet (which is a big deal between having a broken bone and death).
on a bike you fly off instead of hitting your chest on the steering and breaking your rib cage. (still dangerous but if your instincts kick in, you can have few broken bones.)
if you are sensible enough, you will wear helmet, gloves, jacket and jeans.


2: btw, you can stop a bike in half of the distance if you are experienced enough. crashing at 10km lower speed will improve your chances of living exponentially. and you have a 270degree view compared to cars.

so, in simple words, you need air bags so that you dont break your rib cage and puncture your heart.

1: So did marco Simoncelli. Infact he wore gear much more than we can ever dream of wearing.
2: You are the first person who says that bikes stop faster than cars.

 
^ Actually to think about it, you are trying to compare apples to oranges. So I dont think we could come to an agreement.
 
All I'm saying is that people can ride a bike which does not even have ABS at 120 km/hr but they preach about getting Airbags and ABS in cars which will do 60 km/hr.

PS: You do accept that your claim #2 was absolutely wrong?
 
PS: You do accept that your claim #2 was absolutely wrong?
stoppin.jpg

source: http://www.motorcycleforum.com/showthread.php?t=123925

1. I really did not like you steriotyping bikers. I used to ride my bike fast. but I never compromised on safety. I should've been dead twice if not for the gear.
2. bikes being unsafe is not an excuse to not wearing a seat belt or not having safety features in the car. (your argument is immature.)
3. even the newer bikes are coming with ABS. the technology is slowly maturing... just because you cannot pull an abs from car and fit it to a bike. does CBR 250 sound familiar?

cars which will do 60 km/hr
which universe?
1: So did marco Simoncelli. Infact he wore gear much more than we can ever dream of wearing.
So did Senna. does that make all cars unsafe?

PS: at 120kmph the chance of survival in a car are zero if you don't wear seat belts. same as on a bike if you dont wear helmet and riding gear.
 
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source: http://www.motorcycleforum.com/showthread.php?t=123925

1. I really did not like you steriotyping bikers. I used to ride my bike fast. but I never compromised on safety. I should've been dead twice if not for the gear.
2. bikes being unsafe is not an excuse to not wearing a seat belt or not having safety features in the car. (your argument is immature.)
3. even the newer bikes are coming with ABS. the technology is slowly maturing... just because you cannot pull an abs from car and fit it to a bike. does CBR 250 sound familiar?


which universe?

So did Senna. does that make all cars unsafe?

PS: at 120kmph the chance of survival in a car are zero if you don't wear seat belts. same as on a bike if you dont wear helmet and riding gear.


As for the image, I take it with a pinch of salt.

1: I'm myself a biker, and a soon to be big bike biker at that. So I talk from personal experience. And I'm talking of the inadequacy of riding gear to completely save you from a crash at 100 km/hr.
2: Please tell me how it is immature. Both are motorized vehicles. Both do the same speed. Both carry you.
3: Yep. They are. And if there is an option, I'd blindly tick it. But then how many Indian bikes offer ABS. 3 (Apache 180 ABS, CBR250R and 390). Even the Ninja 650 doesnt have ABS.

Thats the speed a city car would do. But even on the highway, the puny hatches with tiny 1.2 engines dont do beyond 140. Most of them do about 120.

Senna died decades ago. Talk about gutierrez crash vs simoncelli crash for a fair comparison.

The chances of survival on a bike crash at 120 are close to zero anyway, gear or no gear. You can have a crash at 120 and then the vehicle behind you can run you over, because reaction time is fraction of a second. In car I dispute that claim. Most of Indians wear seatbelts just to avoid challan, and in the city. Once they are on the highway, they open them to let their paunches breathe more freely. And in crashes, they do survive, dont they?

PS: My current car is a Skoda Fabia 1.2 elegance. It has ABS and Airbags, both of which were insisted by me. But now in the next one, I'm not quite so sure.
 
I feel too insecure while driving without a seat belt. I make everyone wear a seat belt or till they do I drive very very slowly.. they give up and wear the seat belt.
i initially thought that the safety features are totally money wasted, but then seeing some of the recent accidents I am convinced otherwise.
 
Bikes are actually much safer in city, even without helmates as boo said with 270 degree field of view there are very less blind spots. and easier to swerve on bikes (leaning weight), can squeeze into tight situations etc. Cars could prove fatal in itself in case of many situations where bike could evade.

Also driving bike one is less relaxed and comfortable so much more attention in driving :p people never sleep in bikes.
 
Please. Tell that to all the bikers who suddenly pop out of intersections :p Majority of the bikers drive with absolutely no awareness of whats around them. Rear view mirrors are often facing up at the skies, are they expecting aliens or what?
come to think of it, even cars do the same (drive the car with rvms closed)... as they say, its not the bike but the nut which joins the handle bars and the saddle. ;)
 
Please. Tell that to all the bikers who suddenly pop out of intersections :p Majority of the bikers drive with absolutely no awareness of whats around them. Rear view mirrors are often facing up at the skies, are they expecting aliens or what?

Come to Pune and you will see bikers with their RVM removed deliberately.
 
Not really. They cause the pricing to go up. And cars are quite expensive. Most take a loan.

high 5

ABS and airbags are mandatory. It's better to get a mid-level variant with ABS/airbag than to opt for a top-level variant without one. The novelty of a new cars fancy features wears off quickly, but the safety features would always remain with you.

Which top end doesnt come with abs and airbags?

I am sure you are spending a good chunk of money on mediclaim and life insurance every year which would eventually help you AFTER any calamity. Think of this as insurance money you are putting in which helps you BEFORE the calamity. The additional money you would be putting in is worth every penny when you have to stomp on your brakes while going at 90-100 kph on the highway and a cow decides its the perfect time to cross the road. The fancy features like climate control, kick ass music system, body colored handles and ORVM and other frills do not help at all in this situation, does it?

Apart from safety features, the second level of features you may want to look for is what would make your daily drive a stress-less affair. For me, it would be automatic ORVM, day-night rear view mirror, foot rest and hill hold.

I dont take any insurances either. Utter waste of money.

ABS can be retrofitted.

Dont ever do that. The reliability is nowhere near what it is when it is company fitted. http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...tting-aftermarket-abs-possible.html#post38535

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.

Can be done. Volvo has, in its concept gone a step further and installed a breath analyser in one of their cars. You first blow in it, and if it detects alcohol, it doesnt start the car.
Why ABS are not compulsary? Because Alto 800 sells 20K a month. why? because its cheap. Now if you add 60k for abs + airbags, who'd buy it?

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!

Blown airbags definitely cost more than that.

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!

But then the problem with this situation is that a newer car comes in that time frame, and you have to start your research all over again.

I did not know this. People are way too relaxed in our country when it comes to seatbelts. I just don't get it. I refuse to drive unless people sitting in my car wear their seatbelts.

So what do yo do with a stubborn grandparent?

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.

And you gave him?
Paris_Tuileries_Garden_Facepalm_statue.jpg


Actually its evil of my part, but I insist on seatbelt initially if the passenger doesn't listen. I narrate horrible things that could happen to their face if it hits the glass. or how bad whiplash injury is.

2710562873_evil_bush_sticker_xlarge.jpeg


stoppin.jpg

source: http://www.motorcycleforum.com/showthread.php?t=123925

1. I really did not like you steriotyping bikers. I used to ride my bike fast. but I never compromised on safety. I should've been dead twice if not for the gear.
2. bikes being unsafe is not an excuse to not wearing a seat belt or not having safety features in the car. (your argument is immature.)
3. even the newer bikes are coming with ABS. the technology is slowly maturing... just because you cannot pull an abs from car and fit it to a bike. does CBR 250 sound familiar?


which universe?

So did Senna. does that make all cars unsafe?

PS: at 120kmph the chance of survival in a car are zero if you don't wear seat belts. same as on a bike if you dont wear helmet and riding gear.

come to think of it, even cars do the same (drive the car with rvms closed)... as they say, its not the bike but the nut which joins the handle bars and the saddle. ;)

So you tell me to believe a chart as compared to expert visual evidence I've presented to you? Seems legit.

Come to Pune and you will see bikers with their RVM removed deliberately.

Yeah! Thats a major annoyance.
 
Cars are definitely safer than bikes, however that does not mean that one should forego the safety when it is possible to have them. For the sake of an argument, we can argue till eternity but I would definitely have a car with as many safety features as I can have within my budget.
 
I do not ride a bike and I don't think I ever will. Both my cars have abs and airbags. Hopefully whatever car I buy next will be EU ncap 5 star with 6 or more airbags and esp.
 
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