It is 2024. Safety has become extremely important to the Indian car-buyer. There is a lot of misinformation, fear, and importance being given to crash-test ratings being performed in the lab, and not even in the real world. There isn’t much nuance in the safety conversation in India, and people are looking at it from a very black-and-white point of view, whereas the real picture is quite grey. And a few companies (I don’t need to mention their names, because ahem, you-know-who) are using crash test ratings as marketing to sell their cars, which is indeed scary. People assuming that crash-test rating is equal to safety is a very scary situation. Anyway, with some context set, let’s get started.
1. If my car has a 5-star safety rating, then I don’t need to give a damn about anything-WRONG! That’s NOT how it works. First off, let’s address the nuances in this conversation, and then you yourself will realize that it’s not that simple, and that the picture is a lot of grey, and not black or white. First off, the crash tests take place at 55-64 km/h, so if your car gives 5-star ratings at those speeds, it does not guarantee that it will give the same performance at 80-100 km/h speeds or higher, in fact, it will perform worse, because as the speeds are higher, the impact energies are higher. Not to mention that the pole test for these cars (car crashes into a metal pole, also a lab test) takes place at just 30 km/h (that’s dead slow)! Plus, our road conditions are unpredictable, and let’s be honest, it won’t perform the same way it performs in a lab, so a 5-star car reduces your chances of death or serious injury in an accident, but that does not make you invincible. If you crash a 5-star car, you might still get injured, it’s just that the injuries will be minor compared to a more unsafe car. If you are not careful and don’t drive safely, you can kill yourself in a 5-star car as well. And this has happened. People under this misconception buy a 5-star car and drive it rashly, and don’t think twice before over-speeding, which results in accidents. So please, don’t drive your 5-star car like a jack-ass and expect to not die in a crash, or worse, kill someone or injure someone because of YOUR mistake. You might live to tell the tale, but I can’t imagine how big a scar that will leave on you for the rest of your life. So please remember, that you have to share the road with others as well, and driving safe might determine the difference between life and death, even in a 5-star car. I suggest that instead of buying into the marketing, first, ask yourself, do you REALLY know how to drive? If you aren’t convinced, then WORK on your driving skill, and improve it to such a degree that you are able to stay safe, avoid crashes, and other people are just unable to crash into you even if they try, not to mention that passengers must also feel safe when you are behind the wheel. You must earn their trust, and that will take a lot of hard work, which is better than throwing money on the problem, being lazy and just buying a 5-star car, and using that as an excuse to drive complacently. Remember, a 5-star driver in a 1-star car is safer than a 0-star driver in a 5-star car. Second step, wear your seatbelts, and I mean three-point seat-belts, wherever you sit in the car, WITHOUT FAIL. A 5-star car is good for nothing if you don’t wear your seatbelt, because you need to wear the seatbelts so that in the event of a crash, no matter what the car does, you are firmly in place, instead of you getting thrown out of the car, which puts you in more danger and reduces the chances of your survival. Plus, you need to wear the seat-belt for the airbag to do it’s job properly. The airbag is a secondary restraint (SRS in SRS Airbags stands for supplementary restraint system, google it );), but the seat-belt is your primary restraint, without which you are done for. The airbag just punches you in the face, so that you stay in your place, and it isn’t some pillow that massages you, which can hurt you in most cases, but the point is that it won’t be able to keep you in place if you don’t wear your seatbelt. You will move a lot, experience a lot of G-forces, not just from the crash, but also from the airbag, which can injure you much more seriously if your seatbelt isn’t keeping you in place. Also, buy a child seat for infants and small children, otherwise they just aren’t safe and they will get thrown in the event of a serious crash, which is something you don’t want to happen, because the standard three-point seatbelt won’t hold them in place. Also, if you are holding them in your lap in the front-seat, the child can slide off the airbag and can become a projectile, which means it will fly and that can cause a serious situation, so please avoid it as much as possible. If you really care about safety, then maintain the car properly, keep the tires, brakes and suspension in good shape, do the wheel-alignment regularly, and work on becoming a 5-star driver, and don’t take unnecessary risks!
2. My car just has to have a 5-star rating, I will buy it no matter what-What’s this obsession with crash test ratings? Most of it is just marketing! Please understand that crash test ratings and safety are two different conversations, and safety is a much wider topic than just a test performed in a lab that does not represent real-world conditions. I get that cars need to get safer, and I am happy that they are getting safer, but there is much more to safety than just a crash-test rating. Please buy a car that meets your requirements, a car that feels safe to drive and gives you more confidence, and a car with ABS and three-point seatbelts for every passenger. It has to drive properly according to you and your preferences. It’s okay if it does not have a 5-star rating. If you are comfortable and confident in the car, you will drive safely and avoid crashes like they are out of fashion. If you have become a skilled driver, then you don’t need to worry about any of this. Pro tip-If you can’t come to a conclusion, buy a car that in general feels effortless to drive, and easy to get acquainted with. The less tiring it is to drive, the less mental energy you will use while driving it, the less fatigue you will experience, and you will be a safer driver. Buying a 5-star car with terrible suspension and a 5-star car that feels wobbly, frustrating, and does not inspire confidence while driving, is not worth buying. Listen to your emotions and feelings, and choose the car in which you feel the safest, and you are good to go. Thank me later!
3. Door-thud, bonnet-thud, body panel-thud tests are accurate for testing the “build-quality” and “safety” of the car-No, they aren’t! Pressing the sheet metal does not give you an idea as to how safe the car is. Indians have this big misconception that a car that has a good door-thud and sheet metal that does not press inwards is safe. No, it isn’t. It’s just perceived safety, not actual safety! And what annoys me is that this is also being used as marketing. A car which does not impress you in this regard is actually much safer than you think.
4. I will wait till I can buy that 5-star car, till then I will ferry around my family of four in a motorcycle-With all due respect, please don’t do this to yourself. You don’t need a 5-star safety rated car to ensure safety. If you really need a car, then don’t hesitate to buy one. It is much safer to carry your family of four in a car rather than a motorcycle.
5. Why does this car look like a crumpled can of red-bull after the crash test? It might not be that safe. All these modern cars are so weak and unsafe, they crumple like tin cans after a crash. An old Ambassador, Old Mercedes, and older cars in general were safer, they were built like tanks! - My friend, you don’t understand how crashes work. Now before you start the “Maruti, Hyundai tin ka dabba hai” rant, (I can see you typing, don’t lie to me!) relax. Stop typing and breathe. Chill out. You okay? Okay, thanks for letting me put my point across. Where was I? Oh, yes. See, a modern Maruti Suzuki hatchback is much safer than an old Ambassador and that’s an objective fact, no matter what opinions you have on it. But, why is that? Modern cars are designed with a crumple zone. It is the part of the car that absorbs impact energy in the event of a crash, and crumples into a crushed red-bull can in order to keep you safe. Since most of the energy is absorbed, you don’t feel much of it. And that’s by design. If the same were to happen in an Ambassador, the car will barely get a dent, but you are the crumple zone, and chances are that you are crushed like a tin-can, but the car looks picture perfect (Sorry for making you imagine this). So if a car crumples worse, it might just be the safer car, because it has a bigger crumple zone that absorbs more impact energy. Now you get how grey the safety conversation is, don’t you, my keyboard-warrior friend?
6. Why are these Maruti and Hyundai tin-cans on sale? We need safer cars we don’t need these good-for-nothing cars. Why are they still there?-Because people are buying them, smarty. Maruti and Hyundai might be a bit behind when if comes to crash safety, but you have to give them some credit for serving the majority of Indian consumers with good, affordable cars, not to mention that Maruti Suzuki runs a driver training and safety program, which is huge, and Maruti is doing the right thing by targeting the driver, because driver error causes majority of accidents, and there is no point of having a 5-star car if you are a 0-star driver. Maruti and Hyundai are working on making their cars safer, case-in-point the Grand Vitara, the Brezza, and the Verna and the Tucson, and I am optimistic because they are genuinely working on making their cars safer. They make great first cars, they are affordable and reliable, and certainly better for a middle-class family of four than a motorcycle. I will be lying if there are Marutis and Hyundais that I don’t want to buy, because there are many that I want. The thing here is, that by having a myopic point-of-view, you are the one that is missing out on some good cars, my key-board warrior friend.
7. Man, how will my car perform in a crash?-Okay, I am serious! Some people are so delusional, that the only thing important to them is how my car will crash? You are buying a car, my friend, not a battle-tank! You don’t buy a car to crash, you buy it to drive it! Like, seriously man! Most people buy a car for a demolition derby, rather than to drive without crashing, safely on the highway. We have such entertainers, who crash-test their car on public roads and highways, and are crashing 5-star cars in every way possible before GTA 6! You get this only in India!
8. Light car is unsafe, heavy car is safe-Not necessary. There are heavy cars that feel extremely unsafe at any speed, and there are light cars that feel safe at high speeds and while cornering hard. Weight isn’t a factor in determining how safe a car feels to drive. It’s steering geometry, suspension, tires, and a lot more factors are involved to make a car feel safe and confidence-inspiring to drive. In fact, it’s easier to make a light car feel safe to drive than it is to a heavy car. Adding weight just worsens everything and makes it more difficult for manufacturers to engineer a car that feels safe to drive. Lighter weight makes it easier to arrive at a better suspension setup, and suspension is a big factor in making a car feel safe and confidence-inspiring. Pro tip-If a car has a suspension that feels too soft, RUN AND DON’T LOOK BACK!
9. I can keep anything in the car, anywhere! I have a 5-star car bro-I have a better idea. Eat a 5-star and do nothing, which is better than what you are suggesting. Jokes apart, it’s not a good idea to keep random objects, especially sharp ones, placed everywhere in your car. Keep them safely in the glove box, or the boot. This is because in the event of a crash, those objects will become projectiles, which means that they can fly at you at the speed of a bullet from a gun and with the intensity of a nuclear missile warhead (Am I watching too much Hollywood? Maybe). These projectiles can cause a lot of damage to you, and suddenly a harmless ball-pen can turn into a weapon. As I mentioned earlier, your baby can also turn into a weapon like this if the cute little one isn’t strapped up in a child seat.
And that sums this up. Thank you for reading this patiently and not throwing something at me. Feel free to mail me and debate with me later. Stay safe!
