[lordrayden]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Edit: Mods, kindly add a poll option: "It's so easy to get a DL without learning to drive safely".

That's a good one. I didn't think of that.

Originally Posted by Rohan265

Thank you for making this a multiple-choice poll.

Actually, initially I had made it a single choice poll, but GTO suggested that multiple choice is better for this type of question. So I changed the poll type.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

By the way, the percentages don’t appear to be correct. When you add them up it is way above 100% or am I missing something?

Since its multiple choice, for each option, its the percentage of people out of total number of voters who selected that particular option. As of now "Lack of awareness about safety and why it’s important" has 28 votes. The total number of people who have voted for ANY option in the poll so far is 48. So 28 out of 28 makes 58.33%.

[for_cars1]

At a fundamental level, everyone is concerned about their own safety.
Lack of awareness is main reason safety is not prioritized. Ignorance is bliss indeed.

It is important to understand what precautions (active or passive) need to be taken to ensure safety. There has to be a consistent effort to spread the awareness through stringent driving tests before giving driving licence. Government enforcement to bring awareness.is the key.

Indian manufacturers like Tata an Mahindra have taken the lead to offer 5 models with 5 star safety and are ahead of foreign OEMs on the safety aspect for mass market cars and these vehicles are popular among Indian customers.
So we as Indians will prioritize safety, we have to realize or be aware of them in the first place.

[JoshMachine]

IMHO, the answer to prioritizing safety lies within the intersection of:- being aware (for self & family, discipline etc.) + Government making it compulsory (no-compromise heavy fines) + manufacturers selling cars with safety as a top differentiator (GNCAP etc.)

Within India, the government is taking some good strides to make certain things compulsory or atleast bringing it to mainstream focus. Ofcourse, there's a long way to go.
As for the other 2 factors - being aware, this starts at home. The law of averages pulls the overall awareness quotient really low amongst masses.
And for the manufacturers, well, too few have this "safe car" as their main agenda.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I think more than awareness its our general lack of civic sense, care a damn attitude to rules and regulations

Very true. Safety culture is closely related to follow-the-rules culture, which Indians lack. The day people follow rules, safety will follow, whether it be driving or anything else.

[ajitkommini]

This thread, and this forum is limited to road safety, as it should be, but in fact the lack of attention to safety extends to practically all spheres of life in India and exists across the spectrum from the humblest manual labourer to the wealthy. Road safety is only a part of this. I believe it stems mainly from lack of awareness but also a low price put on the value of human life and suffering.

[nibedk]

I have chosen others. One of the major reason or factor is not mentioned in the list. Its the herd mentality or "bhedchaal" as called in Hindi. Though Tata and Mahindra have caught up with foreign manufacturers but lot of people would want to be seen in a Hyundai or a Kia because that's sounds and looks cooler. Or a Maruti because it provides peace of mind. In both the above instances its the folks in the friend circle and family own these and vouch either for the features or service.

No offence meant to any owners who own these cars. It can be replaced by a Audi or BMW or Merc. Very few would go in for a Skoda or Toyota or Volvo. In this case its the snob value.

This is basic human nature and has nothing to do with any country per se. Just apply the context of safety considerations while buying a car. Very few want to go against the tide.

[EV NXT]

Why are we picking on driving ??

Do we priotize safety anywhere else??

Haven’t you seen two wheeler riding at you on the wrong side of the road ?

Are they not aware its wrong ?

Why do they still do it? Because they can get away with it, cops dont catch them and it saves them 12 seconds compared to going the right way. So its got nothing to do with awareness. Its an attitude issue - I do what I want to do even if its wrong if i dont get caught.

So start off by strongly punishing wrong doers - by levying deterrent punishment - its used in the middle east and leads to people following rules regardless of their awareness, education and intelligence levels.

But none of that will work in a democracy - a form of government inherently flawed by design as those in power need to curry favour with you to get your vote again. So they arent going to set anything right if it displeases you.

We probably need a dictator or ruler but then while the roads may become safer there would be several other issues.

[CarNerd]

Because we are lazy! How many of us wore masks whenever we stepped out during Covid? Even when the entire country was locked down and the only thing running 24x7 on news was about the number of cases, many of us simply were too lazy to wear masks outside. Asking people to wear seat belts is the same as asking govt employees not to take bribe.

Many children lose eye sight while bursting crackers which doesn't happen in the west. We all know about Helmet usage in India. Some don't even know high beam shouldn't be used within cities. How can we convince people to wear seat belts? I think the only way to do it is by the manufacturers by incorporating tech that prevents the car from running without seat belts.

Most driving schools are pathetic. They only care about how much money they make instead of how much a student has learnt. They have a understanding with the RTOs and help in getting driving license irrespective of the student's abilities. In many cases, the instructors themselves are no good.

Even the authorities are at fault to give driving license to anyone without rigorous testing. Traffic Rules should be taught in schools compulsorily. Otherwise people buy a 5 star rated car and think they can drive like crazy without seat belts.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The biggest ACTIVE safety feature of any car is the nut behind the wheel - the driver! Till the time that one can get one's driving license effortlessly and as a matter of right, India's road safety record will never improve. .

Yes, not sure about other TEST centre's but the one in PUNE is corrupt to the core. Highly rude people manning them and everyone coming to test going away happily after bribing set of people via so called agents.

All the talk about computerized test tracks is crap, since the agents have a way around to manage things for newbie drivers.

The main issue is there is no one to nip this in the bud, which is the driving test centre!

Why don't we as Indians prioritize safety? The answer is its a cultural thing.
Just try and have a look at people dropping/picking school kids to/from school and you get the answer. No helmets,People drive hapazardly, take shortcuts and park in really bad manner. So imagine we are sending kids to school to educate them and this is what they see daily! We cant blame them if they do the same when they grow up isnt it?

[greenhorn]

My thoughts, based on my experience in other countries.

In India, or for that matter, most developing countries, when the brown stuff hits the fan, it's every man for himself, and you can't rely on the government, courts, or society to have your back. Unlike developed countries where a safety first approach is holistic, with everyone doing their part, that's not the case here. Life in developing countries is inherently more dangerous - wild animals, food poisoning, criminals, poor infrastructure, any number of things can kill you.

The burden of paying for the cost of safety in monetary, time and quality of life terms is very high, and all of this to protect life which is not valued highly in India in the first place. In such a hostile environment, there is a tendency to accept this risk as part of the cost of living there and move on.

You'd have noticed how covid guideline adherence started slipping after a while. People get fatigued, and decide that the price for safety is too burdensome. In India, after all, travel is viewed as either a convenience or a leisure activity, and adding safety to the mix achieves neither.

I think most Indians have considered the price they have to pay for safety first, given our circumstances, and decided that safety third is a more balanced option.

[D_Security_Guy]

How About a Show of Arrogance , i.e - Power in pocket!

Overheard a many of my colleagues from Delhi NCR : "Oh so you took 30 mins to reach office ? I took the wrong-way and reached office in 15 mins! No 'thulla' will chalan me anyways ! "

In Delhi NCR,Driving wrong side , breaking traffic rules and signals : Is a Show of Power.
If you are just an average common citizen ? Follow the damn rule cause you are damn scared of traffic police!
Safety? What's that? Voting for point 4 (It’s all fate, if its our time then nothing can change that) on behalf of 80% population of people I met in NCR.

[chef-de-jeep]

When the MD of the biggest company in the country had once made a loose remark, as well as a clear double standard when it comes on the production line - the Spresso for South Africa. It sincerely speaks about a mix of factors. As I read through the options I realised it should have been a multiple choice of answers for every vote. Courtesy team-bhp(majorly) and a lot of other platforms I always try to get people to understand the importance of safety as well. I mean forget safety, I say do not buy a compromised car. For some reason it's always factors like "resale value", even when for a fact its not going be sold off for the next 5-8 years that hold as major factors. Unfortunately it's rarely a foresight that one has to survive should an unfortunate incident occur.

[Kosfactor]

Cant afford it at all!

While working for the biggest IT company in the world I used to get home in a Bajaj RE that is shared with 10 adults. Remember that vehicle has a seating capacity of 3. This sort of service exists in many parts of the country, that population which depend on it still exists in large numbers.

Would I rather take a walk and get robbed on the way? Nope, these are decisions we take in life based on our situation. Please do not get carried away with car companies and their marketing power to influence your thought process.

[dust-n-bones]

Vehicle manufacturers and citizens don't prioritize safety are consequences of a deeper problem - technological advances (whose pace is much faster) have overtaken the culture (which is a slow evolution).

Look at outlying areas of any of our cities encroaching upon its villages. Those roads were meant to travel on a bullock cart, weaving their way through haphazardly plotted houses, open gutters and no drainage. Drainage and sanitation was an alien concept in most of India till recently.

Technology now time machines such neighbourhoods into high speed roads, cars and two wheelers which can do speeds unimaginable for the previous generations.

This is just too much change for culture and tradition to handle. From individual drivers to manufacturers to regulators, road designers to contractors. We collectively did not go through the evolution of motorized transport - steam engines to begin with, engines just plonked onto horse carts, cars that barely kept pace with a horse to horrific accidents as adoption grew that resulted in public outcry and safety regulators and enforcement and adoption that we see today.

This was a century and more of cultural evolution that we want to compress into a few decades. Or less. Not happening

We often observe that a 'desi' will follow all rules in a western country, but not when in India. Its the same effect - the prevalent culture drives individual behaviour, not the other way round. Education and awareness will help, but only very slowly before we see any large scale change in behaviour.

You may cite the examples of Gulf states and China. I'm sorry, but our governments are way less effective in doing anything - good or bad, and thank God for that.

[fhdowntheline]

I voted for the belief system where people are fatalistic. I have heard many (well educated) colleagues believe in this. No, there is no problem of awareness now with the advent of social media. No, there is no is no longer a cost vs safety factor now that technology and regulation are in place, slowly but surely. We have always blamed governments for our ills but that's nothing new too. I think the belief system is too strong and entrenched in our minds in India. In fact, I fear that such high profile incidents will actually strengthen the fatalistic attitude than overcome it. To add to that the prevailing sense of uncertainty that has dogged our lives, right from uncertainty of basic civic amenities to weather to Covid. We have simply not seen enough of the good, working, sustainable stuff in our society yet. Therefore everyone spends to make things certain for themselves. Those who can afford, put up generators and Invertors in their houses. Those who can afford, employ private security or security systems. Its always a rat race of spending for individual comfort and peace of mind. Therefore its not a simple question of changing mindsets and is more complicated than any social discussion can handle, I am afraid.