[TrackDay]

Like someone said about getting adequate sleep, I would like to emphasize on the importance of getting your tires checked and filled to proper pressure at least once every 3 weeks. And also to check on all liquid levels in the engine bay.

The next big thing is common sense. It doesn't matter if you drive the world's safest car, if your not careful you could end up causing a mishap. Sorry for going off-topic.

[architect_santo]

Temperature gauge which goes missing in quite a few new cars.
Speed sense door lock and unlock during impact.
Sunvisor extender

[Carpainter]

One thing that comes to my mind and something that is severely lacking in India is proper lane driving. Driving in lane is basically non existent on city roads and sometimes on the highways as well. Even though some people do follow lanes, it's the lack of knowledge of how and when to change lanes that becomes the problem. Lane driving halves the chances of accidents specially on chaotic roads like ours. But neither police nor driving instructors put any emphasis on it.

[wheeledwanderer]

In my part of the world most manufacturers have fire extinguishers as standard fitment in the car! Also a small seat belt cutter & a small glass breaking hammer should be kept handy?

[karanddd]

A friend of mine said that gutka is the best safety feature. He never goes on a long ride or drive without a stash of gutka, apparently it's a great stimulant to keep your mind alert.

[ynike99]

A very handy and small feature is Kia/Tata version of turning on Rear camera on demand. Helps quite a bit in tight manoeuvres.

[landcruiser123]

How come everyone forgot this? The default safety feature of every single vehicle in India.


EDIT: I'm referring to the Nimbu-mirchi (lemon + chilli) tied to the grill, not the headlight.

[Annibaddh]

Some features I find particularly useful:

1. Single side Parking Lights a la VW (use indicator stalk to engage hole ignition is off

2. Auto lock if car moves while handbrakes are engaged. Another Vento discovery.

3. Adaptive cruise control: Not the cheapest I guess

a. I know a lot of us feel this is not really useful in India, but I’d still like to have it on my next car. I’ve found it does multiple things- With my right foot resting I tend to accelerate less often and let the cruise control do its job. Helps maintain a steady speed and gradual acceleration.

b. A rested right foot and ankle means safer drives for sure.

c. Forces lane discipline. It is incredible how many drivers on Indian roads drive in two lanes together and absolutely unnecessarily!l! Both lanes are empty and wide enough for Titanic! On my recent drive from Jaipur to Chandigarh it seemed like a disease as common as texting and driving is in Jaipur/ Gurgaon. As if the drivers are zombies just floating around with little control over what they’re doing.

4. One touch Windows! All four of them. Why would you not? Why would any car maker want the driver engage one of their hands in anything but driving!

5. The ability to unlock driver’s door without unlocking all four! Another Vento special. I use it so often!

[dvr08]

IMHO, relying on too much tech on a car takes our brain's thinking ability away. Moreover, relying too much on tech makes things difficult when situation demands that we drive someone else's car or the tech in our car stops working. A little knowledge about the car we drive is most important.

[coolkurt]

1. Auto headlamps. I've seen so many people driving without headlights because they just "forgot to turn it on" or "it isn't dark enough yet".

2. Fuel auto cut off beyond say..150 kmph speeds. Indian roads are just not suitable for very high speed driving.

And lastly, one of the most important low cost safety features, 'the god's idol on the dashboard'

[jeetumg27]

While some very good ones have been covered above, I feel (not a feature, but more of an emotion), is "controlled rage" ; this is applicable in both city and on highways. There will never be enough cars that you can overtake - there would always be someone ahead of you, because there is no finishing line.

Counting anywhere between 5 to 10 deep breaths & letting it go is a highly recommended method to control the urge & rage to "give it back" - it works well for me. Find this method and keep practicing - Indian roads give you lot of opportunities to practice.

In terms of actual features, I would consider Mirrors (both IRVM and ORVM with 3rd lane view) and Bumper Sensors as the most essential safety features. The IRVM angle again is really important - I adjust it to the rear left 3 quarter view as that works best for me.