CAI Consumers Association of India & Consumer VOICE seminar on car safety

Presentation

by

Consumer VOICE

Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education

www.consumer-voice.org

About VOICE:

Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE) is a consumer protection group set up in 1983 and our mission is Consumer Empowerment.

Working under “JagoGrahakJago” program of Ministry of Consumer Affairs besides other Ministries, Regulatory bodies, standards organizations, world bodies and Standing Committees of Parliaments, our work of Comparative Testing for product testing and services evaluations are for the masses. We are doing advocacy for consumers to various authorities to benefit consumers across India.

Consumer VOICE magazine: We are publishing bimonthly magazine called Consumer VOICE in English and Hindi.Consumer VOICE Website :www.consumer-voice.org

Consumer VOICE Does not publish any commercial advertisements and also does not accept commercial donations to be free from pressure and obligations

VOICE has been extremely vigilant to ensure that Consumer Rights continue to be protected. We were part of the panel to introduce Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 1986.

We are founding member of Consumer Coordination Council. We are also member of Consumers International and ICERT UK.

Our strategy is to be an active and forceful member of the policy formulation bodies / initiative of relevant law-making agencies so that Laws/Acts /Regulations enacted has the consumer interests fully covered.

To this end VOICE has been recognized by Ministries, Regulators, Standardization Bodies and at international level also.

About the Project

• The overall purpose of this project is to minimize deaths and serious injuries occurring in or due to car accidents on Indian Roads by enhanced car safety standards in India at par with global standards.• Specific Objectives of the Project:1. To advocate for adoption/creation of regulations/standards for Indian

cars on occupant protection in front collisions; occupant protection in lateral collisions; seatbelts and seatbelt anchorages; electronic stability control; and, pedestrian protection at par with global standards.

2. To push the demand for safer passenger car in India by educating/sensitize consumers and other stakeholders on car safety• issues at par with global standards.

Project Activities

• Desk Research for Advocacy inputs• Project Planning cum Orientation Meeting• Representations to Stakeholders• Awareness Campaign on Car Safety- 10 workshops• Media Campaign• Advocacy Seminar cum Stakeholder Consultation

Car safety and consumer rights

On 15 March, 1962, US President John F. Kennedy delivered an historic address to the US Congress, which formed the basis for developing the 8 basic consumer rights recognised by the consumer movement worldwide. These include:

•The right to safety - To be protected against products, production processes and services that are hazardous to health or life.

•The right to be informed - To be given the facts needed to make an informed choice, and to be protected against dishonest or misleading advertising and labelling.

•The right to be heard - To have consumer interests represented in the making and execution of government policy, and in the development of products and services.

WHO : 1,30,000 lives lost on road every year

Unheard voices…

Devender SachdevaPitampura, New Delhi

•Car: Maruti Swift Desire, no airbags

•His wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law and aunt were killed in a collision with a tanker

"I lost my wife, I lost my father in law my mother in law, I have lost my family. They all were very beautiful people, there is a vacuum in life, because...I am just alone now."

“If we buy a car, we have the right to buy a vehicle with safety features, so that we feel safe.”

“Even basic models in European countries have safety features. Why not in India?”

Unheard voices….• Car: Maruti 800, no airbags

• Both sustained internal injuries and hospitalised after collision with bus

"Even today if we cross the place of accident, my eyes become wet and I think, 'Oh God, it shouldn’t happen to anyone.' As if I have come back from hell.“

“Our lives are equally important as the people in other countries. Thus, the safety features are needed in all the cars being sold…Are our lives not precious?”

Ashok Ishwarbhai PatelRajpal Ashobhai Patel Ahmedabad

Unheard voices…

• Car: Maruti Ritz, no airbags

• Two cousins killed and three seriously injured in collision with tree

“I would like to give this message to the Government, that the car safety features should be there in every car.”

Harwinder RidhlanDwarka More, New Delhi

We support minimum UN RegulationsOn 15 April 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on “Improving global road safety” which represents the UN’s strongest ever commitment to road safety.

The resolution:•“Invites Member States that have not already done so to consider adopting policies and measures to implement United Nations vehicle safety regulations or equivalent national standards to ensure that all new motor vehicles meet applicable minimum regulations for occupant and other road users’ protection, with seat belts, air bags and active safety systems fitted as standard.”

New ARAI standards: a step in the right direction• India will apply important UN equivalent standards for new models from 1

October 2017

• Although this was announced in 2008, we applaud the government for taking the right action

• BUT, please do not delay any further. Indian lives are on the line

BNVSAP: an opportunity too important to squanderBNVSAP can make a vital contribution to strengthening consumer safety, but only if:

•Testing protocols meet the necessary level of stringency, including frontal crash tests at 64 km/h

•Learn from the experience of other NCAPS

•Consumers must continue to be represented

BNVASP and regulation are different• Regulation sets a minimum safety level and should be used to ensure

no cars fall below that level

• BNVSAP should be used to provide and independent assessment of safety performance, so that:

• Consumers have the information they need to make safer choices

• Manufacturers are encouraged to go above and beyond the regulatory minimum

Global NCAP in partnership with IRTE ( Institute of Road Traffic Education)

Tested five popular and important models to assess their performance in both the UN Reg. 94 crash test at 56 km/h and at an NCAP speed of 64 km/h.

SAFER CARS FOR INDIA PROJECT

Combined sales of these five cars account for around 20% of all the new cars sold in India last year

REMARKS

Manufacturers must do better, now• Cars not crash tested violate Indian consumers’ right to safety and

must be removed from the market immediately

• The bottom line: Indian citizens and consumers deserve the same level of safety as anybody else. No ifs, no buts!

1. Electronic stability control (ESC) - aids car's stability during skids/emergency situations.

2. Electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) - automatically varies the brake-force

3. Brake assist (BA) - helps drivers to a stop quickly during emergency braking.

4. Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) - detects object ahead apply brake

5. Lane-keeping technology - detects the car is about to leave its lane on a motorway

6. Visibility aids - like parking sensors/cameras monitor unseen objects/blind-spot

7. Attention monitoring systems - monitor driver's behaviour to detect signs of tiredness

8. Seat belt enhancements - such as pre-tensioners / load limiters to help prevent injury.

9. Airbags - multiple airbag systems common (to help in both front/side impact situations)?

10. Head restraints - to prevent whiplash injuries

11. Child car seat fixing points - to fit a child car seat without a seat belt

12. Pedestrian protection - including the use of impact-absorbing panels, external air bags and pop-up bonnets to help prevent injury to pedestrians.

Estblished Car Safety Features

CAR MODEL AIR BAGS ABS EBD ESP LSD Hill Hold Control Traction Control System

Brake Assist

Tata Indica NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Tata Zest NO* YES* YES* NO NO NO NO NO

Tata Safari NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Volkswagen Polo(India) NO YES* YES* NO NO NO NO NO

Volkswagen Polo (Australia)

YES YES YES YES YES* YES YES YES

Volkswagen Jetta(India)

YES YES YES YES NO YES YES YES

Volkswagen Jetta (Australia)

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

Volkwagen Beetle (India)

NO YES YES YES NO YES YES YES

Volkswagen Beetle (Australia)

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

Poorest safety regulations in the world.

Safety components that are standard elsewhere are only in highline

models in India

No laws regarding child safety.

We do not have an NCAP that can certify cars before they hit the roads .

OBSERVATIONS

• 250 respondents.

• Objectives : Find out the factors behind an individual’s decision of what car to

buy. Whether the consumer is aware of the safety norms which his/her

car must satisfy How safe the car actually is, for both the passenger as well as the

environment.

CONSUMER PRIMARY SURVEY

Consumer Awareness of Indian and Global Safety regulations is the first step.

Consumers should give safety of the car a top priority, which in turn creates a demand for safer cars.

Regular emission checks, tyre pressure checks and making sure we ourselves buy safety and prevention tools like fire extinguisher spray.

TIPS FOR CONSUMERS

New Developments

• The Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) is a proposed New Car Assessment Program for India. Cars sold in the country will be assigned by star ratings based on their safety performance. It will be implemented in phases, according to the plans being drawn up by the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project. It is the 10th NCAP in the world and is being set up by the government of India• Cars with crash guards to attract penalty up to Rs 5,000• Five India-bound cars score high in the latest NCAP test..

New Initiative in Vehicle Regulation

Action Notification Date

1 Automatic Head Lamp on – two wheelers 188 (E) dt 22.02.16 1st April 17

2 Speed Governor 290 (E) dt 15.04.15 Extended dt 31.01.17

3 Bus Body code 895 (E) dt 20.09.16846 (E) dt 17.03.2017, 2258(E) dt 19.07.2017

Extended to 30.09.2017 for existing models

4 Additional provisions fro M1 vehicles 1014(E) dt 26.10.16 draft

5 Mass Emission Standards for LNG 1066(E) dt 15.11.16 Draft

6 Double Decker Bus 240 (E) dt 14.03.17 Six months from the date of notification.

7 ABS for two wheelers 120(E) 10.02.17 1.04.18

New Initiative in Vehicle Regulation

Action Notification Date

8 Requirements for behavior of steering mechanism of a vehicle in a Head-on Collision

AIS -096/2008, as amended from time to time ,for the vehicles specified therein.

New Models – 1st October, 2017All Models- 1st October,2019

9 Protection of occupants in the event of an offset Frontal collision

AIS -096/2008, as amended from time to time ,for the vehicles specified therein


10 Approval of vehicles with regard to the Protection of Occupants in the event of a Lateral Collision



11 Approval of vehicles with regard to the protection of pedestrian and other vulnerable road users in the event of a collision with the motor vehicle



Why this matters…

“Consumers by definition, include us all,”

“They are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision.”

“Yet they are the only important group... whose views are often not heard.”

Conclusion

Every Manufacture claims consumers Safety to be a Priority but fails to communicate the same to the consumer.

Consumer Education is one of the important tool for consumer empowerment. Safe car should also be a priority to the consumer but needs to be supported by manufacturers and regulators.

Consumers representation should be a part of important decision making processes.

CAI Consumers Association of India & Consumer VOICE seminar on car safety

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Transcript of CAI Consumers Association of India & Consumer VOICE seminar on car safety