Overlooked Car Safety Features

The Indian car buyer has evolved. Safety has become a priority for all new car buyers. Features such as Airbags, ABS, ESP, and a high Global NCAP safety rating are sought out by most car buyers. The Indian government has also responded to this trend, and we now have stringent regulations for car safety.

I have already discussed in detail on the Must Have and Good to Have car safety features. However, there are some overlooked car safety features that are considered unimportant by most car manufacturers.

In this article, I would like to discuss those car safety features that are not provided by manufacturers but are equally necessary.

Three-Point Seat Belts for all seats

The seat belt is the most important car safety feature. Most safety features are designed assuming you are belted. The seat belt is also known as the “Primary Restraint System” and is designed to keep you in place while the more advanced features such as Airbags and crumple zones work their magic.

The restraining ability of the seat belt is decided by the number of belts used. Seat belts range from two-point seat belts commonly seen in buses or airplanes to five-point seats seen in racing cars. The three-point belt or “lap and shoulder belt” is the most common belt type used in passenger cars because it gives the perfect balance between practicality and safety.

However, except for the top-end cars, most cars sold in India only provide the three-point belt in the outer seats. The middle seats have a two-point belt or “lap belt” which is sub-optimal in terms of safety.

Some cars such as the Toyota Etios and Mahindra XUV300 did initially provide the three-point belt on all seats. However, this practice either has been discontinued. Thanks to the government’s intervention, manufacturers have started to provide three-point belts for all seats in new vehicles. But, there are many vehicles which do not have three-point belts for all seats.

Safety is equally important for occupants in all seats and manufacturers should provide three-point belts for all seats.

Adjustable Headrests for all seats

The Headrest is an important and often ignored safety feature. Unlike what the name suggests, the “headrest” is not a comfort feature. Headrests are designed to prevent neck injuries, also known as “whiplash injuries”. Headrests do this by providing support to the head that reduces the head’s oscillatory motion in a crash. This, in turn, reduces stress on the neck.

Headrests positioning also matters. An incorrectly placed headrest may increase neck injury severity. This is why headrests should be adjustable in all seats. However, most manufacturers provide adjustable headrests only in the front seats in lower models/variants, while the rear seat headrests are molded into the seat. Most cars don’t even have headrests in the middle seats even though they claim the car to be a ‘5-seater’.

Similar to the three-point seat belt, adjustable headrests should be standardised across all seats in all cars, not only the premium cars.

ISOFIX Joints

The seat belt is the most important safety feature in a car. However, it cannot save all occupants. Seat belts are designed only for adults, not children. Contrary to popular belief, children are not safe in their parent’s laps either. In fact, having a child sit in your lap is as dangerous as having the child poking out of the sunroof.

Children need a special device to keep them safe. That device is the Child Seat or Car Seat. Child seats are often by many parents. Most parents are not even aware of their existence and continue to carry children on their laps or leave them unrestrained on the seat.

Child seats have to be purchased separately and fitted to the car’s rear seat. The traditional way of fitment was using the seat belt. Nowadays, some cars have a special feature known as “ISOFIX” that helps to lock child seats quickly and securely. Unfortunately, ISOFIX joints are limited only to a few cars and haven’t been adopted across all cars. ISOFIX is a necessary device that must be provided across all cars to improve child safety.

Child seats come in different specifications depending on the child’s age. I have simplified Child Seats in this article.

Day/Night Internal Rear View Mirrors

Using a high beam or even powerful halogen lights is a common practice seen on all Indian roads. These high-beam lights can cause severe glare and other visibility issues on direct exposure. The visibility issue is caused by both oncoming and following traffic. Most premium cars have a feature called Day/Night Internal Rear View Mirrors (IRVM) that reflect/absorb most of the glare to prevent blinding. These IRVMs are a real boon while driving on the highways at night.

However, Day/Night IRVMs are available only in select budget cars. This is again something the manufacturers must look into.

Rear Windshield Wipers and Defoggers

Heavy rains are a real safety problem while driving on most Indian roads. Yet, it is puzzling that many of the lower variant/budget models don’t have rear windshield wipers and defoggers for improved rear visibility. Not only for rains, but rear wipers are also essential while passing through dusty or muddy roads where the draft causes the backlight to be covered with sand.

Rear Fog Lamps

Every winter we come across numerous crashes or even pileups caused due to poor visibility. Although there are many steps you can take to drive safely on foggy roads, you can never be sure if the vehicle behind you is taking the same steps. That is why cars need rear fog lamps that are specifically designed to increase your car’s visibility for following vehicles.

Rear Fog Lamps provision in cars has been hit-and-miss. Some car manufacturers provide this useful feature in all their models and variants while some of them provide them only in the top variants. You can get rear fog lamps retrofitted if required. However, rear fog lamps should be standardised across all vehicles.

Safety should not be an added feature

Just like their more glamorous counterparts, the overlooked car safety features mentioned need more attention.

Manufacturers should stop selling safety tools as “additional features” and should standardise them across all vehicles. The government should also take cognisance and start regulating these features.

As car buyers, the only thing in our control is to give priority to a car that has the safety features mentioned in the list. Never compromise on safety.

Last Updated on June 6, 2023 by RSG