[autoliebe]

Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both?

We often see people around talking about Safety Rating of a Car, its crash rating, B-NCAP, E-NCAP etc. I seldom see anyone talking about driving a car safely. An irresponsibly driven car despite being the safest one is no good than a 0-Star crash-rated car.

The driver of the car, not only is responsible for his/her own safety but of the car occupants and the oncoming traffic car passengers too. Driving a safe car isn't enough until the driver himself/ herself doesn't understand the importance of driving safe.

Following should always be in the mind of a driver. ALWAYS.

1. Do not drink (read in an inebriated state) and then drive a car. PERIOD. Stop fooling yourself saying you can manage alcohol and take pride in saying/doing so. It's science, Alcohol reduces and slows down mind's response and decision making - which is critical while driving a car.
2. Speed thrills but kills. Adventure sport can give you thrills. No point trying that with a car having family/friends in it on a road where other people / families are driving. There's nothing worst than having a guilt of killing someone without their any mistake on the road. Adhere to safe speed limits on highways (80-100 Kmph) even if your car can go 200 Kmph. Your car can crash and get repaired but you and your family's lives can't. Always remember that.
3. Don't compete on roads. A road is not a race track. It is a means to go from point A to point B, nothing more. If you need, compete in life building a business, helping someone or something good.
4. Plan your travel and schedule it well in time. There's no point leaving late for a place and then hurrying up on the road. Either start early and drive safe or if you have got late, be ready for the consequences (be it office or any party) rather than hurrying up on the road to make up the delay. You can always bear a boss's scolding rather than be on a hospital bed. Keep this in mind always.
5. Never ever let your kids get behind the wheel. Driving (especially in our country) is not merely Accelerator, Brake & Clutch but also careful observation and split-second decision making on the roads. Trust me, a kid cannot take such decision on the road. And if allowed, you've given an AK47 to a kid who can shoot it on innocent people without even understanding the implications of that. Ideally, after they getting their driving license, let them drive in your supervision and only then let them drive alone once you feel they can. Remember lives are more important than letting the kid driving a vehicle. He/She can drive after a year or two, but the life of innocent people in case of accident can never come back.
6. Drive responsibly in front of your kids. They tend to learn whatever they see in their sub-conscious mind and do the same when they drive. This applies to other walks of life as well in addition to driving. Ensure you are responsible enough in front of them (and otherwise too, ideally).

Parting with a picture of a car in today's TOI edition of Bangalore. The car was toppled, all occupants safe because the car could be of good build quality (or merely the family was lucky). But remember, after an accidental mistake, your car can be scrapped, but your lives are too expensive to be done so.

[Col Mehta]

Safe driving, period.

Regardless of how many stars your car has scored in a crash test, it will not save you if your drive it recklessly and get involved in a high speed accident. Plus it's just not only about your life being safe in a "safer" car, other lives are also at stake when you don't observe safe driving.

[dvr08]

Safe driving! No debate on that.

Cars are safer if and only if it is being driven <80kmph. It doesn't matter if a car is rated 5 stars in crash test. We need to understand/realize that any vehicle being driven over 80 kmph isn't that safer in event of a collision.

[Livnletcarsliv]

The most significant safety feature of any car (or any vehicle for that matter) is the DRIVER - This safety feature is not only responsible for the safety of those inside, but also responsible for the safety of everyone on the outside and the environment. So the driver MUST be 100% perfect to the dot to drive the vehicle. All other features, including the engineering and other factors, are secondary.

[TheHelix0202]

This post showed up right on cue. In another thread, someone was asking for car suggestions, and I said - don’t buy a car just for ADAS. Then someone replied saying they get distracted while driving on our roads so ADAS helps. I mean… if we - the so-called smart automotive crowd - are dropping takes like these, I can’t even imagine what the average joe must be thinking.

[CmdrShepard]

The best safety device is ALWAYS the driver. I'd say both safe car and safe driving are good. Safe car is like medicine, helps AFTER you've gotten sick. Safe driving is like yoga, exercise and a good diet regimen, that helps you to avoid the sickness in the first place.

Most accidents and road rage cases these days - too much power under the hood and not enough brains behind the wheel

[IshaanIan]

Safe driving is the only difference between an accident and a safe journey. When it comes to safe cars, ratings are nice to have but solid ergonomics, good engine performance and well selected gear ratios work wonders toward assisting a driver to drive safely.

[DasAutoFanatic]

I might sound sound like the oddball in the park, but although safe driving is a must, I feel that SAFER CARS are much more important. When we were planning to purchase a car back in 2018, our number one priority was safety and bought a VW Vento. And by doing so, we even compromised on many fancy and gimmick features in cars with lesser safety

I can recall a recent incident in which a friend of travelling in a 2008 Honda City met with a major accident on the way to Salem from CBE. The driver wasn't going beyond 90, was very experienced and the time was around evening 7~8. But, then due to something on the road, the tyre experienced a blowout leading to the vehicle losing control and hitting a lightpost nearby and spinning 2-3 times before coming to a halt.

In this incident, the driver behind the wheel was driving safe. Accidents aren't always caused by the driver behind the wheel, but sometimes( or even most of the times) are caused by other's faults and/or hazardous unforeseen circumstances which we cannot control. In such cases, as many bhp-ians have recollected incidents on our forum, SAFE CARS are my priority.

[SRS]

Safe driving is of utmost importance and can ensure that accidents are avoided in the first place, but safer cars hold their importance in the event of an accident, and therefore, both of these should go hand in hand. If one practices safe driving, it would help avoid accidents, but other drivers on the road must follow the same as well. If in the case the other driver doesn't and he crashes into you for no fault of your own, a safe car can be a lifesaver.

There is also another fact that how safe the car is, safe driving should always be the practice, as reckless driving, even in the safest cars, can be the cause of accidents, which can be fatal.

So in my opinion, both are required to ensure safety on the road.

[self_driven]

Originally Posted by autoliebe

We often see people around talking about Safety Rating of a Car, its crash rating, B-NCAP, E-NCAP etc. I seldom see anyone talking about driving a car safely. An irresponsibly driven car despite being the safest one is no good than a 0-Star crash-rated car.

Well, at least on Team-BHP, this is not the case. Threads on safe driving practices are aplenty. In fact, the safe car requirement that we see in most 'what car?' queries isn't that rigid in most cases. Safety often takes a backseat, even now, in favour of something that excels in other areas (features, after-sales, reliability etc.) and comes across as a better package.

Safe cars and safe driving both go hand in hand. Safe cars with unsafe driving habits are a recipe for disaster, especially for those you crash into. Similarly, safe driving in an unsafe car merely reduces the chances of having to suffer from one's own mistakes. However, as many members have already pointed out, many situations are outside the control of the driver such as a tyre burst, animals on the road or a badly-driven safe car on the wrong side coming towards you. In my opinion, defensive driving while also having a structurally safe car becomes indispensable with the kind of civic sense that is displayed on our roads.

The topic of this thread reminds me of the classic 'mother or wife, who will you save?' joke.

[TorqueLord]

Safe/defensive driving is like taking care of your health, and having a safe car is like having a health insurance policy. The first priority should always be to drive defensively/safely, but given the madness of our roads, it's always good to have a safe(r) car as an insurance policy against others. Of course "safe cars" are safe only to a point - they are crash tested at 64kmph, and if someone crashed at 100 or 120kmph, no 'safe' car will save them.

A lot of the auto makers are using NCAP ratings as a selling point, and loudly proclaim the safety of cars, which unfortunately leads to rash driving by many drivers with an overconfidence in their "safe cars".

Additionally, many of these 'safer cars' are also FWD SUVs and come with relatively poorer driving dynamics given the higher ground clearance. Couple that with our unpredictable roads, and if you have to do a sudden evasive maneuver, then you end up toppling.

Add an immature/overconfident driver to the mix, and voila! We have a recipe for disaster.

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by autoliebe

Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both?

Short answer. Both. That was easy. Now for the longer response

I can understand the reason behind the question. I know some one who have said things like "I bought a Tata (Harrier) because of the safety rating blah blah blah" and then go about saying things like "I never use cruise control because it restricts me to 120 Kmph". I know for a fact that this "car geek" then drive around at excess of 160 Kmph. Surely he has no idea what crash safety means. If you ask the above question in that context the obvious answer would be "I would rather drive safely than die (for sure) in a 160 kmph crash in a "safe" car.

The question is also in some sense "wrong". There is a choice to be made if and only if there is a tradeoff. In this particular case as far as I see there is no tradeoff. My biggest problem with a question like this is the thought that there is a tradeoff. Would you want to make a risky move on the road, or drive at excess speed, just because you are in a "safe" car ? Many people, including the specimen I quoted seem to think so. That is where the problem lies. My decision to drive defensively should not in any way depend on which car I drive.

I also have a problem with people who say safety rating is irrelevant. Think of this problem on road safety as a relay race with two runners: the driver and the car. Of course it is the duty of the driver to drive safely and play his part in the success. It should not in any way absolve the car (rather the OEM who makes the car) from doing its part.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by autoliebe

Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both?

We often see people around talking about Safety Rating of a Car, its crash rating, B-NCAP, E-NCAP etc. I seldom see anyone talking about driving a car safely. An irresponsibly driven car despite being the safest one is no good than a 0-Star crash-rated car.

The biggest safety risk on the roads is the human behind the wheels. Over the last five years given all the noise around all the CAPS what I generally feel is that technology and these standards are being used to evade personal responsibility and government responsibility in ensuring safe driving.

It is a uniquely Indian situation where we push for safe cars with having extremely poor fundamental safety practices both in terms of driving and in terms of road construction and design.

Some of the other safe driving practices that are optional here
1. Mandatory rear view mirrors on bikes not to be removed for that clean look. Practice using mirrors and be mindful of situations where a mirror will not cover your viewing area
2. Use indicators to turn. Ensure drivers behind you know your intentions
3. Stop and look before getting into a main road
4. Keep to your lane while turning into and onto roads and don't straddle lanes on the highways
5. Don't rush other drivers.
6. On the highway indicators are not a free pass to swing into the path of a driver in the other lane unless it's an direction emergency.
7. The road is a public place. You are expected to drive at a reasonable pace not holding up other drivers while you debate the merits of the the latest Ferrari with your fellow passengers.
8. A little kindness goes a long way in making the road a better place for everyone. Helping other overtake you, turn across your lane, stopping for a pedestrian to cross all go a long way in easing our collective frustration on the road.
9. Be aware of your mental state of mind on the road. Dial it back a bit and pull over if you find yourself running out of patience,being aggressive etc.

I drive expecting none of the above from my fellow drivers but try my best to follow them all the same with varying degrees of success. That's how I keep myself safe. So yeah safe driving trumps safe cars.

To the argument that "what if someone hits you"..well isn't that true about life in general. As someone once said "Life is 99% how you take it, driving is 99% how you do it"

Drive on,
Shibu

[Baby Driver]

Originally Posted by autoliebe

Safe Cars or Safe Driving? Or Both?

We often see people around talking about Safety Rating of a Car, its crash rating, B-NCAP, E-NCAP etc. I seldom see anyone talking about driving a car safely. An irresponsibly driven car despite being the safest one is no good than a 0-Star crash-rated car.

The driver of the car, not only is responsible for his/her own safety but of the car occupants and the oncoming traffic car passengers too. Driving a safe car isn't enough until the driver himself/ herself doesn't understand the importance of driving safe.

Hands Down Safe Driving.
Let’s say you’re driving a super safe car. It has airbags, sensors, automatic brakes — all the cool safety stuff. Sounds great, right?

But what if you’re texting while driving, or speeding, or not paying attention?

Even the safest car can’t stop a bad decision.

Safe cars help protect you if something goes wrong.
Safe driving helps stop things from going wrong in the first place.

Both matter.

It’s like wearing a helmet and riding your bike carefully. One helps you avoid accidents, the other helps you survive them.

So whether your car is brand new or a few years old, the best safety feature is still you — the driver.

Drive smart, stay safe. Always.

[NomadSK]

"Safe cars" is a passive safety system, "safe driving" is an active safety system, both work in tandem, they will come into play at different times, generally when active system fails, passive system takes over to minimize the effect.

Passive systems won't be required as long as active system is working perfectly fine.