Opinion: Volvo XC90 Accident: Why Safe Cars Do Not Equal Safe Roads

If a car was deemed to be ‘not safe enough’ for India, you’d hope it was because crash safety norms were ridiculously stringent. It raises the eyebrow higher still when you learn the vehicle in question is a Volvo XC90, the flagship product of a brand that prides itself on making the safest cars in the world. This luxury SUV was crushed to pulp on the outskirts of Bangalore, claiming six innocent lives. 

The statistics are grueling. In a report shared by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for 2018-2022, Indian roads have claimed 1.5 lakh lives, and injured 4.17 lakh people in approximately 4.5 lakh accidents annually on an average. Granted, safer cars might’ve brought those numbers down substantially, but there’s obviously so much more to unpack. But first, let’s focus on this particular incident. 

*Volvo XC90, considered as one of the safest cars in the world

What Happened? 

Some grainy CCTV footage from a nearby fuel station has enabled an accurate and chilling recreation of the events that took place:

In 1959, a Volvo engineer designed a modern 3-point seat belt & made it available to the world for free, without a patent.

Despite being one of the safest car manufacturers, Volvo could not save an entire family of six in the Bengaluru, Nelamangala accident.

Who is to blame?… pic.twitter.com/HbpsM3BfTg

— Vije (@vijeshetty) December 23, 2024

We see a commercial vehicle turn abruptly causing a speeding hatchback to brake and swerve to avoid impact. This in turn forces another truck to brake hard and turn to avoid hitting the hatchback, resulting in it losing control, jumping the divider and hitting another 18-wheeler in the oncoming lane before finally landing squarely on the Volvo’s roof. 

Visuals of what followed are particularly graphic, where we see the XC90 reduced to an almost flat object. 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Prateek Singh (@safecars_india)

Let’s answer some questions now; shall we? 

Could the car have saved the occupants in this incident? 

The truck in question was reportedly carrying 26000kg of steel. Even if we discredit physics and the force of impact, asking a vehicle to shoulder a weight 260 times over its load carrying capacity (the roof of the XC90 is rated for an upper weight limit of 100kg) is simply being absurd. We can stick our necks out and say there’s possibly no vehicle that can sustain an impact that harsh and save its occupants. Any questions on the safety of the Volvo XC90 itself  seem largely misguided. 

Who’s to blame? 

While the driver of the truck has been booked for causing death due to negligence, it can be argued that fault has to also be attributed to the hatchback and the truck that changed directions abruptly in the first place. 

But isn’t it time we start questioning the rot that runs deep and wide in the transport ecosystem? 

‘I Hide My Face’ — Nitin Gadkari

The Honorable Minister for Road Transport and Highway very candidly admitted in a parliament session that he’s forced to save face at global conferences whenever road safety is discussed. The ministry had set out with a lofty target of slashing road accidents in half for 2024 compared to 2023. Not only has the ministry failed in achieving this target, the number has actually risen. 

There are quite a few core issues at hand here

• Easy access to a driving licence: Ask around, you probably know more people that have got driving licences without setting foot into an RTO office, than those who have flunked a driving test. It’s not surprising that drivers seem unaware of basic road signs, flout rules and drive in a manner that’s unsafe not just for themselves but everyone around them.
  
  Compare this to driving manners of countries known for their road manners — Germany, Sweden, Dubai for example — and you’d hear countless accounts of applicants failing driving tests and repeating them over and over again. Better fundamental driver training and a stricter control over issuing licenses is the cornerstone of safe roadways.

• No fear of the stick: A direct result of the ‘chalta hai’ (‘it’s okay’) attitude, it’s not uncommon to see a complete lack of fear of repercussions of breaking traffic laws. Basic yet significant things including wearing a helmet, standing behind the zebra crossing at a red light, giving way to medical emergency vehicles and double parking continues to go unchecked. 

A rise in fines for offenses is welcome, but the enforcement of these laws will go a long way. 

• Relic On Wheels: What was the last time you saw a commercial vehicle that was relatively new, had all lights and indicators functioning and with tyres that did not look as smooth as roads should be?
  With the transport industry being pushed into a corner due to costs, most sadly gamble in the last place they should — the trucks themselves. A large vehicle has considerably higher reaction times even compared to the largest SUVs. Add poor maintenance, and overworked plus underpaid drivers into the equation and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. 

• Put the ‘Road’ in ‘Road Safety’: “Somewhere we need to maintain the equilibrium between quality and cost’ said Mr. Gadkari addressing an infrastructure conclave in October 2023. 

There’s acknowledgement that awarding the  ‘lowest bidders’ might not necessarily be the best option there is. There’s obvious skimping in terms of technology, materials and maintenance that lead to creation of ‘blackspots’ (a location that has an abnormally large number of casualty crashes). The creation of a safer driving environment (without compromising on road quality) has to go hand-in-hand with strict rules and amping up driver training. 

The Silver Lining

While there’s a whole lot to fix, it’s encouraging to see that road safety is being given due attention. To start with, a transparent and strict crash test rating system in the form of BNCAP is wholly welcome. Practically armtwisting manufacturers into offering basic safety kit such as six airbags, ABS with EBD and reverse parking sensors as standard is a step in the right direction too. The Ministry for Road Transport and Highway claims to have allocated Rs 40,000 crore to eliminate blackspots on highways. While change isn’t expected overnight, there’s most definitely a lot of hope for improvement. 

We’ll sum this up by repeating what Mr. Gadkari said when questioned about having a ‘Zero Road Accidents’ target. “Untill we’ve got support from the society, human behaviour does not change, and law is not respected — it’s difficult”. Thankfully though, it’s not impossible. 

Safer cars are a great starting point, not the only solution.

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