Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both?

neeravnaik · 23rd April 2025, 17:21

Safe car is a necessary condition but not sufficient. Driving safely in a safe car will multiple your chances of safely reaching your destination.

Nowadays lot of people know the safety rules but one key missing thing I see is self awareness. I have seen many people who say they drive safe probably including many on this forum but they are not. There will be excuses like I drive fast when it is empty or I know the limits. Sometimes there is too much confidence.

You can see it in cab drivers who are definitely some of most experienced drivers in the sheer distances they cover and probably very skilled too. Also you would assume they will be driving safest since they are exposed to risks daily. But you see them driving fast and worse tailgating trucks etc so closely in night and all sorts of risky situations.

Let us just ask ourselves are we being honest. Do you actually reduce your speed considerably in night or in rains.

Lot of people are anyway lost causes with nothing will happen kind of attitude.

fhdowntheline · 23rd April 2025, 21:38

I don’t think the two are exclusive. You need a safe car, and you must do safe driving. The safe car is also in case someone else does an unsafe act.

Sierra__foxtrot · 23rd April 2025, 22:18

Hands Down a Safe Car.

Even if iam following a safe driving pattern, some maniac decides to come straight into me with his reckless driving its not my safe driving skill which is going to defend me but rather my safer car which will absorb the impact to an extent. Took that decision while purchasing my POLO over the then new i20's long feature list and the tin can baleno's mileage and after sales stories.

steadfast · 24th April 2025, 00:06

Simple logical answer - Safe car

You can control your driving as safe or unsafe but you can’t control other drivers on road and this is where a safe car protects you from their foolishness . Further safe car protects you from so many unknowns on Indian roads.

So no matter how safe you drive you have higher probability of dying in an unsafe car versus a safe car. And for people who say that safe car brands are not as reliable as unsafe brands, my preference is to go to a workshop than send me and loved ones to the other world

ron178 · 24th April 2025, 01:26

Probability(being killed or seriously injured in a crash) = Pr(getting into a crash) * Pr(getting killed or seriously injured given that you are in a crash)
Source: Thomas Bayes, centuries ago.

The very existence of such a thing as a "safe car" or a "safe driver" implies at least one of the right side factors can be 0. Which is a necessary* and sufficient condition for the other factor to have no effect on the expression on the left.

*you can show the "necessary" side with a bit of very elementary multivariate calculus.

If someone has found a way to make either of them 0, depending on which one, please get in touch with MoRTH, or ask Global NCAP to rename "#SaferCarsForIndia" to "#SafeCarsForIndia".

Phantom 510 · 24th April 2025, 22:11

Safe driving always! No number of stars will favor one if he/she is engaged in ape-like antics at the wheel of a car.

23rd April 2025, 17:21	#16
neeravnaik BHPian Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Bangalore Posts: 200 Thanked: 448 Times	Re: Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both? Safe car is a necessary condition but not sufficient. Driving safely in a safe car will multiple your chances of safely reaching your destination. Nowadays lot of people know the safety rules but one key missing thing I see is self awareness. I have seen many people who say they drive safe probably including many on this forum but they are not. There will be excuses like I drive fast when it is empty or I know the limits. Sometimes there is too much confidence. You can see it in cab drivers who are definitely some of most experienced drivers in the sheer distances they cover and probably very skilled too. Also you would assume they will be driving safest since they are exposed to risks daily. But you see them driving fast and worse tailgating trucks etc so closely in night and all sorts of risky situations. Let us just ask ourselves are we being honest. Do you actually reduce your speed considerably in night or in rains. Lot of people are anyway lost causes with nothing will happen kind of attitude.
	() Thanks

23rd April 2025, 21:38	#17
fhdowntheline Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Pune Posts: 2,739 Thanked: 8,503 Times	Re: Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both? I don’t think the two are exclusive. You need a safe car, and you must do safe driving. The safe car is also in case someone else does an unsafe act.
	(1) Thanks

23rd April 2025, 22:18	#18
Sierra__foxtrot BHPian Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Chennai Posts: 79 Thanked: 353 Times View My Garage	Re: Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both? Hands Down a Safe Car. Even if iam following a safe driving pattern, some maniac decides to come straight into me with his reckless driving its not my safe driving skill which is going to defend me but rather my safer car which will absorb the impact to an extent. Took that decision while purchasing my POLO over the then new i20's long feature list and the tin can baleno's mileage and after sales stories.
	(1) Thanks

24th April 2025, 00:06	#19
steadfast BHPian Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Ghaziabad Posts: 434 Thanked: 1,289 Times	Re: Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both? Simple logical answer - Safe car You can control your driving as safe or unsafe but you can’t control other drivers on road and this is where a safe car protects you from their foolishness . Further safe car protects you from so many unknowns on Indian roads. So no matter how safe you drive you have higher probability of dying in an unsafe car versus a safe car. And for people who say that safe car brands are not as reliable as unsafe brands, my preference is to go to a workshop than send me and loved ones to the other world
	(1) Thanks

24th April 2025, 01:26	#20
ron178 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: India Posts: 1,539 Thanked: 8,019 Times	Re: Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both? Probability(being killed or seriously injured in a crash) = Pr(getting into a crash) * Pr(getting killed or seriously injured given that you are in a crash) Source: Thomas Bayes, centuries ago. The very existence of such a thing as a "safe car" or a "safe driver" implies at least one of the right side factors can be 0. Which is a necessary* and sufficient condition for the other factor to have no effect on the expression on the left. you can show the "necessary" side with a bit of very elementary multivariate calculus. If someone has found a way to make either of them 0, depending on which one, please get in touch with MoRTH, or ask Global NCAP to rename "#SaferCarsForIndia" to "#SafeCarsForIndia". Last edited by ron178 : 24th April 2025 at 01:29.*
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24th April 2025, 22:11	#21
Phantom 510 BHPian Join Date: May 2021 Location: Mangaldai Posts: 406 Thanked: 613 Times	Re: Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both? Safe driving always! No number of stars will favor one if he/she is engaged in ape-like antics at the wheel of a car.
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