The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways released a report in June 2016 for road accidents in India. According to the statistics, Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of accidents at 69, 059 cases. Mumbai was the top city in registering accidents at 23, 468. Well, the numbers are not surprising. Whether it is the fast lifestyle or the thrill of speed, road accidents have grown in recent years. Whenever you open the newspaper you would find an accident case staring back at you. Sad, yet true!
While road accidents are increasing, are you, as an aware individual doing your bit to reduce them?
People world over adopt various techniques to reduce the probability of accidents. A very popular concept in Netherlands is Dutch Reach which is practiced by everyone. The Dutch Reach is nothing complicated but a safety habit adopted by the people of Netherlands. According to this habit, the driver reaches out to open the car using the hand which is farther from the door. For instance, if you are sitting on the left seat of your car you should use your right hand to open the door to get out of the car. When you do that, you have to turn around the door for opening it. When you turn around, you can see any passing vehicle and prevent your car door from ramming into any incoming vehicle. This practice thus helps you in avoiding accidents.
Car manufacturers also promote safe driving habits and provide some inbuilt safety features in their cars. Here are 5 such safety features found in many cars.
- Detachable headrests
Did you know that car manufacturers keep the car’s headrest detachable on purpose? Yes, the headrests are detachable and the spikes at the end are sharp. Moreover, the window glasses are weaker on the inside than on the outside. So, in case of any emergency, you can detach the headrests and use the sharp spikes to break open your window. You can thus, get out of your car in emergencies and easily save yourself.
Also, remember to keep these 10 items to Build your Car Emergency Kit
- Airbags for passengers
While you knew that cars give airbags for the driver and the co-passenger did you know that airbags were also offered for passengers seated at the back? Car manufacturers are building airbags for the backseats as well and are selling their cars on this USP. Moreover, if you want, you can also opt for airbags in the doors as well to protect your torso in case of a collision. Cool, isn’t it?
- Hassle-free gear change
Automatic cars are replacing the traditional clutch and gear cars where you are required to frequently change gears. Newer models are increasingly being offered as automatic cars thus reducing the hassles of shifting gears. In automatic cars there are only three gear settings – forward, neutral and reverse. You are free from changing gears depending on acceleration or deceleration. In fact, many cars are also offering dials for gears. Beat that!
- Child lock
While you may have heard about central locking system where the switches at the driver’s side locks all doors and windows, have you heard about child lock? Child locking is a facility wherein the doors and windows are locked and cannot be opened from the inside. You can open the doors only from the outside. This feature is very helpful if you have children travelling with you. As the doors and windows are locked, a child cannot accidently open the doors when travelling and can avoid becoming a victim to accidents.
- Parking assist
This feature is commonly present in most cars nowadays. This feature helps you park. There is a rear camera and a collision warning. Moreover, the park assist feature also tells you the safe distance from the curb or the next object which can hit your car’s rear end. Thus, the feature helps you in parking your vehicle safely and correctly.
Were you aware of these features? Car manufacturers are doing their bit to make their cars safer, what about you?
In fact, a feature which is present in international cars, but lacking in their Indian counterparts is Electronic Stability Control. This feature helps your car to stay in control on the road and not swerve uncontrollably. Though Indian cars don’t have this feature currently, they might in the future. Meanwhile you can adopt some safety etiquettes when driving your car and install the above-mentioned safety features. Alternatively, you can also go with a good car insurance policy. After all, prevention is better than cure, isn’t it?
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