[highway_star]

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

Would like to add another point to this. Sunroof has an anti pinch feature. When you are trying to close it, if there is something in the way, like a part of your body, the roof stops closing. This is another thing that suggests that the sunroof is meant to be used for sticking your body out of it.

There could be another explanation for the anti pinch feature. It may be intended to protect the motor which moves the roof from burning out by cutting it off in case some dirt/object prevents the roof from closing.

[Volt]

Absolutely apt and timely thread. I really cannot comprehend how parents can allow this to happen. But then I think it boils down to a lack of safety culture amongst us. I mean otherwise how do you explain things like parents sitting with their children on their laps in cars equipped with airbags (and to top this on the driver's seat even!). I have many times warned friends not to let children sit on front seats in an airbag equipped car. Most of them look at me as if I am from another planet.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

Would like to add another point to this. Sunroof has an anti pinch feature. When you are trying to close it, if there is something in the way, like a part of your body, the roof stops closing. This is another thing that suggests that the sunroof is meant to be used for sticking your body out of it.

Got your point, but in most cases, it's a case of carelessness or lack of awareness (of the danger involved). Quite a few modern cars have anti-pinch protection for windows, but it will turn dangerous if folks start thinking that sticking head out of running car's window is safe.

[Desmosedici]

Fantastic Thread! I have seen this happen so many times on the Sealink and Marine Drive and i always used to tell my better half, see how dangerous that is for the kids and the parents dont even realise.

Nowadays its parents who let their kids do 'anything' they want just to keep them happy. Comon, they are kids and wont realise anything unless you tell them.

My best friend gives his expensive mobile to his 8 month old daughter and she throws it and feels happy. On asking why he even keeps it near her, answer is, 'let it be yaar, it makes her happy'.

My argument always has been that you are an adult and know whats good and whats not and need to educate your kids rather than just being dumb parents who just wish that their kids are happy doing whatever they like.

Leave alone kids, on some trips, my friends get drunk and stick themselves out of the car while i am driving. If i stop, i am abused, so all i do is crawl for a few feet with utmost care as there might wires, branches sticking out of nowhere. Then eventually i make it a point to stop and tell them to get in.

I have seen this happen in great numbers when we won the cricket world cup.

People just dont realise the safety aspect at all while on the road.

[Catalyst_delhi]

Guess this is the least of the problems -

There are far more kids

1. sitting on the drivers lap
2. Standing @ the passenger side
3. Sitting on the passenger side without seatbelts
4. sitting on the passenger side with seatbelts ( this is a problem too for kids)
5. Sticking the head out of the car

think the top 5 are for people without "luxury cars" and can easily topple the issue with sun roofs. makes me cringe when I see these happening. People should be more responsible and read their manual at least once.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Actually what is the purpose of sun roof?
I never understood what pleasures it brings to the people inside the vehicle ...

In european countries every little bit of sun is precious. which is why when it's a sunny day, nobody wants to lose any opportunity to get some sun.

I keep my windows open in summers and almost never use AC. If I had a sun roof it would be open too.

BTW, glass blocks a major portion of UV rays which are needed for Vitamin D production, so don't fall for "sun thru glass" theory.

[Mpower]

Makes a mockery of seatbelts.

Originally Posted by smartcat

- Only after darkness, so that you could see lights from the oncoming traffic.

All the more risky because you cannot see low lying bridges and blocker-bars.

For eg in underground parking lots, they have overheard blocker bars to prevent tall vehicles like commercial LCVs/trucks from entering.

[swarnava.m]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

...BTW, glass blocks a major portion of UV rays which are needed for Vitamin D production, so don't fall for "sun thru glass" theory.

True, but if I am not wrong, all the Vitamin D you can get from the sun is available only early in the morning, around 6-7. Not many people are going to be driving around at that hour. So I guess that pretty much negates the whole concept of having a sunroof for getting Vitamin D from the sun.

[500ContyCruiser]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post one-liners that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the overall quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further.

[raul]

I don' think its a India vs the west thing etc. Its like the rest of our traffic and road situation, safety standards across the board etc.

Rules are enforced strictly abroad and there is a price to pay, so there is discipline, here it's not so folks tend to take more chances.

Cops here just have to clamp down for a couple of weeks and it will stop. A campaign to highlight the stupidity will also work.

I have seen boisterous happy bodies in London doing this. Its obviously dangerous. However no kids, way too many regulations abroad on transporting children and you could be hauled up for negligence etc for this kind of activity, there is a lot of awareness and education on this. The same will happen here.

Its like pavements and over bridges, now that we have them folks use them and there is more discipline, without them obviously road conditions with pedestrians and hawkers was chaotic. Same with garbage bins, have more of them and folks will use them. Modern societies are similar, its mainly the infrastructure, population and effectiveness of rule of law that separates.

[bigron]

I for one am absolutely okay with kids standing like that through the sunroof. Where is the problem if the car is driven sedately and within traffic/speed limits. Its a different story if the driver is really speeding or doing it in a rash manner or on the expressway which yes is idiotic/irresponsible behavior but otherwise i see no problem with this. I live in chandigarh and very often post dinner we head out for a small drive around town and on more occasions than one my friends/ their kids jut out of the sunroof for a brief period . Its done normally on an empty stretch of road with the car doing about 30/35 kms. Now you can argue that its dangerous but then sitting in the car and driving around town at night is also dangerous that way.

[ra'ul M]

Fact is that as long as there is a hole big enough for people to jut out of cars they will do so. The RTO or any authority can not possibly monitor that.
With all my maturity now I can argue against it, but I have done my fair share of all this in my adolescence. Kids are kids and if the parents oblige they should take utmost care.
I remember when India won the semi final against Pakistan and eventually against Sri Lanka there were more people out of the car than inside it.
I remember thinking at that time that people popping out of sunroofs is much safer than rolled down windows.

My point is, the best thing is to stay sane and don't pop out of cars, but if you don't have that choice, what would you rather have people popping out of?

[mayankjha1806]

To the unconcerned this may look a good way of having fun and get some fresh air and relatively safe, (as compared to popping your head out of the window) but i have witnessed an accident many years ago while following an Octavia (red if i remember correctly) on Bangalore Mysore road, doing great speeds with a lady (young and possibly unaware of dangers) having fun with nice cool morning breeze flowing through her lovely hair.

We were following them in our good old Indica, and this gentleman was in fact almost racing. What happened next is a lesson to me and everyone.

We were behind a truck and as usual this truck was not doing any great speeds and the Octavia was getting impatient to pass him. Right then the truck went over some stones and usually in such cases some of the stones get stuck in the tyres and get thrown around. Once such stupid stone (unaware of the influence of the rich lad) came towards the Octavia, possibly hit the windshield and then hit the lady in the head leaving decent sized cut on the forehead. We were two cars behind saw all this and when the Octavia stopped (hurling abuses at the truck driver) we briefly stopped out of curiosity, did not feel the injury was major and not to fuel the matter further by giving some common sense gyan, moved on.

So the moral of the story, we ask not to put hand out of the window (so as not to get hit by passing car) the same caution needs to be applied for the sunroof.

[SDP]

The following video is the worst-case scenario (NOT for weak-hearted):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVP3eWrXbvA

Getting ejected from the sunroof can be very lucky or extremely unlucky depending on where you land. This guy was lucky:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT9Jo2D4ICQ

[punitkakri]

Brilliant thread..
While the sun-roof is a luxury feature it is hazardous too. Quite often i see people popping out of the sun-roof on the Bandra Worli Sea Link. To me this act is nothing more than trying to show-off your top end car. Let alone kids i have seen a lot of teenagers hovering out of the sunroof too. I see these poeple aimlessly waving out to other cars on road as if they were some sort of celebrities..!! Never understood why..

Apart form this another issue of concern is that quite often on Mumbai roads..i see 3-4 poeple on a scooter or bile ...many times with the youngest kid in front of the driver near the handle...this practice needs to be stopped immediately...This is highly unsafe and can lead to a disaster..

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please take the time to use proper punctuation as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid...typing...like...this. Thanks.