Q.Safety Features: Worth it?

[URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/profile/21"]JijoMalayil[/URL] [QUOTE_NODE]"[B]Originally posted by JijoMalayil"[/B] Rear parking sensors are to be made mandatory in all cars in India soon. This lowers the risk of colliding with a pedestrian while reversing. Speaking about the upcoming rule, Mr Abhay Damle , Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways was quoted saying: Although most cars come equipped with rear view mirrors which are adequate for detecting vehicles behind a car, but (sic) they are inadequate on for detecting small children or objects close to the ground, which fall in the car’s blind spot. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will soon issue a notification to make rear view sensors mandatory in all vehicles. [/QUOTE_NODE] An Important development. Compared to earlier cars where the rear glass was quite large and visibility was good, these days, especially in sedans and SUVs, the rear glass areas have shrunk. Hence even in cars that have decent sized rearview mirrors, the rearward visibility is quite poor. That's why sensors will make a lot of sense. This is good news, but as you might have come to expect, the Automobile manufacturers will fight it tooth and nail. They won't want anything that interferes with their profit margins. I wonder what the outcome of this resistance will be in the end! Will the govt really enforce the rule, or will the manufacturers have their way?!

[URL="https://www.zigwheels.com/forum/profile/21"]JijoMalayil[/URL] It looks like they asked around to the manufacturers, which feature would be cheapest and easiest to implement and decided to make it mandatory in the name of a safety feature. I also use reverse sensors and camera but I consider them as a convenience rather than a safety feature. How many fatal accidents actually occur during reversing? I am sure the numbers would be less than those happen with direct head on collisions. Compared to ABS and Airbags, where the manufacturers have to put efforts to implement, the reverse parking sensors are an easy fix. By mandating it, they are just giving us a false sense of action by the government to implement safety norms. I believe this is just a negotiated, for the name sake settlement they have come up with the manufacturer's lobby to show that they are doing something.

Rear parking sensors are to be made mandatory in all cars in India soon. This lowers the risk of colliding with a pedestrian while reversing. Speaking about the upcoming rule, Mr Abhay Damle , Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways was quoted saying: [INDENT] Although most cars come equipped with rear view mirrors which are adequate for detecting vehicles behind a car, but (sic) they are inadequate on for detecting small children or objects close to the ground, which fall in the car’s blind spot. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will soon issue a notification to make rear view sensors mandatory in all vehicles. [/INDENT]

[USER="8"]I Live For Speed[/USER] I have both cars(Elite and Active) in my family.both red ironically :D and all i can tell is that it looks like a direct fit.The Inside wiring aspect is unknown but I'm guessing it'll be just like the Polo where we can simply puchase and add euro spec parts ,enable features in ECU locked by the manufacturer.either way better to chat up with an authorised service station to know the possibilities of the swap as we cannot buy the part from outside anyway.Regards...

Thanks! [USER="135"]JOY MRC[/USER] . Another query, in terms of the size/fit , can the Active i20 lamps be directly fitted onto the Elite i20 ( I am a bit of a noob when it comes to the electrical aspect of this upgrade , would be great if [USER="6"]Roshun[/USER] or you can please explain what kind of changes are required from an electrical perspective)

[USER="8"]I Live For Speed[/USER] The i20 Active headlights are ~16k each which come with the DRL and Projectors u guys mentioned above.Cheers :)

Thanks [USER="6"]Roshun[/USER] for this piece of news ! I was actually looking to get the projector lamps shipped from Europe from the Euro spec version Elite i20 since it's part of the package there. ​Any clue as to how much these cost if I buy them separately ?

The latest to get on the list of OEMs offering dual front airbags as standard is... wonder of wonders... Hyundai. The Hyundai Elite i20 now gets dual front airbags as standard across all variants. The top-end variant (Elite i20 Asta) also gets projector headlamps and daytime running lamps as standard fitment (the same unit from the i20 Active). [USER="8"]I Live For Speed[/USER] do you want to swap your headlamps? Here's more info on the updated i20 from CarDekho: [B][URL="http://www.cardekho.com/india-car-news/hyundai-elite-i20-active-gets-minor-updates-and-standard-dualfront-airbags-17399.htm"]Hyundai Elite i20 and Active get minor updates[/URL] [/B]

[COLOR=#222222][FONT=arial][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial]Yes, worth it. Worth the extra cost of the top end variant over the lower variants. If I had to choose between a lower segment top end variant and a higher segment base variant, I'd choose the former any day of the week and twice on Sunday![/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=arial] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=arial][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]Some more safety features- [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=arial] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=arial][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000][B]Rollover Mitigation[/B] constantly monitors vehicle behavior thru sensors. If the vehicle is in danger of rolling over, it applies selective braking on individual wheels and reduces driving torque to stabilize the vehicle. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000][B]Cornering Headlights[/B] illuminate the curve path while taking a turn with the help of strategically placed lights to minimize any surprises.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000][B]Adaptive Headlights [/B]such as the one introduced by Audi [Matrix LED] dims the light that would shine directly onto oncoming vehicles but continues to cast it's full light on the area around them.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000][B]Driver Monitoring[/B] is a technology used to detect a driver getting distracted or drowsy thereby pre-empting accidents. This is done thru different means such as monitoring steering wheels, driver's eyes/ face or the lane that the vehicle is driving in. Sometimes physiological parameters of the driver are also monitored.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000][B]Hill Descent control[/B] identifies steep inclines employs ABS to assist the vehicle down the slope with caution. [B]Hill Hold[/B] prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards when starting from standstill on an incline.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms][B][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]Emergency Response:[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#222222][FONT=trebuchet ms][SIZE=14px][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]There are a variety of ways vehicles now and in the future will handle an emergency situation. For example, DaimlerChrysler's Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS) turns on interior lighting, unlocks doors and shuts off fuel when airbags deploy, while Volkswagen's also switches on the hazards and disconnects the battery terminal from the alternator. Ford's SYNC Emergency assistance uses your paired mobile phone to contact emergency operators and give them your exact location.[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#741B47][FONT=trebuchet ms] [/FONT][/COLOR]

Its good to see that many manufacturers have started giving importance to safety features. This may not be market demand, but the upcoming BNVSAP that forced them to be prepared for the upcoming regulations. Maruti has now added optional safety packs for all versions of Swift, Wagon R and Celerio. The S-Cross and Baleno get ABS+EBD+Airbags as standard. Similarly, Mahindra, after TUV 300 has started the trend of giving optional safety packs for all version. In the earlier announcement they have mentioned that they would be giving the same for KUV100 also. Ford Figo again has come with AIrbags as standard, and same stands for all the cars by Toyota and Volkswagen. The A segment has also started moving with the flow with the Alto, Kwid and the Datsun Go offering driver side airbags. As our highways are becoming bigger and faster, improving the safety standards is mandatory. The average speeds on the highways have increased in many places and unless we bring in safety features, the number of fatalities in accidents would increase. Other than mandating the safety features, we also need to improve the driving license tests and make sure more safe driving practices are enforced. The earlier bill that has increased fines for all traffic violations added with a point based system to track driving behavior would be helpful to bring down the accidents to a high extent.

[FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]Did you know that sixteen people die every hour in India due to road accidents. Only if the vehicles were slightly more efficient in terms of safety, we could have averted at least a third of the accidents accounting to the deaths of many. Nearly 1.41 lakh people died last year because of road accidents. The seriousness of the situation needs to be grasped at the moment and not any time later. The cry to make our cars more safer for the passengers is urgent and desperate. India automobile manufactures have finally started to offer a lot of safety features on their vehicles as standard and as options(even on the base variants). We look at some of these common terms and try to give a perceptive on what they do and whether they are worth the premium.[/COLOR][/FONT] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) – While braking, it prevents wheels from locking up, in turn avoiding uncontrolled skidding. A must for all vehicles.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]​[/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1948[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]EBD (Electronic Brake force Redistribution) – It lets the car to automatically vary the amount of force applied to each of a vehicle's wheels, based on road conditions, speed, loading etc. It always come coupled with ABS, helping the vehicles stop more efficiently by avoiding wheel lock-ups.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1947[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#000000]Traction Control – Helps to reduce tyre slip while accelerating in slippery surfaces. ABS sensors help identify specific wheels which is spining quickly than the others, automatically applies brakes to reduce its speed to minimize tyre slip, thereby increasing traction. Some systems[/COLOR][COLOR=#333333] also reduce engine power to the slipping wheels.​[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1949[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial]Electronic Stability Programme - [COLOR=#333333]ESP works by using a number of intelligent sensors that detect any loss of control and automatically apply the brake to the relevant wheel, putting your car back on the intended path. ABS and Traction control mentioned above are integral components of an ESP system. That said, every car with ESP has ABS and Traction Control, those with ABS and Traction control do not necessarily have ESP. [/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/FONT][/CENTER] [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1950[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]ABS and Traction Control only work in the driving (longitudinal) direction. ESP can help drivers to cope with sideways (lateral) movements which create instability. Unlike ABS and Traction Control, ESP is a holistic system that can control a car’s entire movements.[/COLOR][/FONT] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]SRS Airbags – Stands for Supplemental Restrain System, a common for cars these days which provides protection above that offered by the seat belt in the event of a accident.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1951[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]Crumble Zones- These are areas of a vehicle which are designed to absorb energy while deforming and crumple in a collision. These zones take in the maximum energy from the collision and reduce the impact inside the passenger cabin, thereby on occupants seated inside.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1952[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]Cruise Control- Helps in controlling the speed of a motor vehicle, by taking over the throttle mechanism of the car to maintain a constant speed.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]Adaptive Cruise Control – These systems come with sensors that can monitor the speed of the car in front of you(up to 600 feet) and adjust the speed of the vehicle to keep it at a preset distance behind the leading vehicle at all times. This features works in rain and fog, thus making it very useful in preventing a collision.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1953[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​Pedestrian Safety/ City safety – Higher end cars comes with this feature which uses radar and cameras to detect pedestrian movement in front of the car, if so, warns the driver or and might apply full braking force to stop the car up to a certain speeds. A must indeed for a place like India.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1955[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]Lane Departure Warning- This is a mechanism that warns the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane on say a highway. These system minimize accidents caused by driver error, drowsiness and distractions. Laser, video and infra-red sensors fitted on the rear view mirrors alert potential violations.[/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1956[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]Blind Spot detection- With the help of sensors again on the side view mirrors the vehicle the system that detects other vehicles located to the driver's side and rear. [/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1957[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [LIST] [*][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]Parking Sensors/ Camera- They are proximity sensors designed to warn the driver to obstacles while parking. These systems, which use either electromagnetic or ultrasonic sensors. Higher end vehicles come with a camera and a screen (often the infotainment unit) displaying precisely the proximity to an object while parking. [/COLOR][/FONT] [/LIST] [CENTER][FONT=arial][COLOR=#333333]​[/COLOR][/FONT] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n1958[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] [FONT=arial]Even if these features help remotely in averting an accident, protecting the occupants/pedestrians in the event of an unavoidable collision, they are well worth it! Hopefully the Indian crash tests scheduled to start in 2017 will make it mandatory for all vehicles to have at least dual airbags and ABS as standard. I wonder why the Government till now has been asleep on this issue of basic safety regulations, which needs to be implemented, considering the staggering death toll due to road accidents every year.[/FONT]