Airbags play a major role in the well being of the occupants in the passenger capsule despite being the secondary restrain systems in a car. The Bharat Stage VI vehicle safety norms mandated the use of airbags in vehicles and now all passenger vehicles are equipped with a driver and a passenger airbag even in the most basic trims.
However, it has been observed that airbags in many vehicles don't pop up in case of impact. Post an unfortunate incident, some vehicle owners are informed post diagnosis that the impact sensor wasn't able to fetch a signal as the intensity of the accident was not that high and that is the reason for the airbags not popping up. On the part of a consumer, they are not an expert in physics who would calculate the impact and restitution on the basis of theories of velocity and momentum, and that too in an emergency manoeuvre. After all, who wants to bump their car on purpose, right?
To resolve these conflicts, the Supreme Court of India claimed that if an automotive manufacturer is unable to provide a fully functional airbag system, the manufacturer shall be liable to the customer. Meeting the basic safety standards in a vehicle is the responsibly of the automotive manufacturer as a buyer blindly trusts the vehicle for the safety it offers. In case of an unfortunate collision of a vehicle, the buyer would assume that the airbags would inflate automatically.
This conflict was escalated through an appeal which was filed against Hyundai Motors India Limited where the appellant's vehicle met with an accident on the Delhi-Panipat Highway, but the airbags did not pop out. The vehicle was a Hyundai Creta 1.6 VTVT SX+ purchased in August 2015 which met with an accident in November 2017. The Creta SX+ trim is equipped with both a driver as well as a passenger airbag. The amount of damage to the car was substantial and the impact was transferred to the occupants. The owner suffered head, chest and many dental injuries due to the non-deployment of airbags at the time of collision.
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For this unfortunate incident, the state commission has awarded a compensation of Rs. 2 Lakh to reimburse medical expenses. and loss of income, Rs. 50 Thousand to make it up for mental agony and another Rs. 50 Thousand for the cost of legal proceedings involved.
Furthermore, the authorities claimed that if an affected vehicle is not replaced by the automotive manufacturer, it shall attract an interest of seven per cent per annum of the value of the vehicle from the day of the incident. Even if a vehicle owner gets the affected vehicle repaired on the insurance reimbursement, this would not change the nature of impact and the automotive manufacturer shall be liable to the vehicle owner for compensation.
Also Read: India To Go Ahead With The Decision Of Six Airbags In Passenger Vehicles
So, what do you think about the actions taken by the authorities in this case? What do you think about the safety systems like Airbags In Passenger Vehicles? Share your views in the comment section. Let's get into a discussion with this in our 91Wheels Telegram and 91Wheels Whatsapp group, where you can know more about vehicles, conduct discussions on your favourite ride, and much more! You can also subscribe to our Youtube channel for our exclusive video content on the latest from the world of cars and motorcycles. Also, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more about vehicles!
