New i20 Becomes ICOTY 2021 | Doesn't The Safety Matter?

Defeating the Mighty Tata Altroz, Mahindra Thar, Kia Sonet, the new Hyundai i20 becomes the Indian Car Of The Year 2021 for the 7th time by securing 104 points in total. The Kia Sonet secured the second position with 91 points; while Mahindra Thar secured podium position with 78 points. But the point here in writing this article is "isn't safety the indisputable aspect?" Regardless of the mightiest contenders in the list e.g. Tata Altroz, Mahindra Thar who secured Five and Four Stars in the Global NCAP test.

 

 

 

Lets keep the features of the contenting cars aside, why is safety sidelined in India? We think, because of tough and very competitive market prices and the typical Indian mentality of "Chalta hai" causes more damage. There was a time in the Indian market when the most selling carmakers used to produce cars with a lot of steel into it, but somehow the manufacturers came to know about how obsessed Indian's are with the Mileage. They developed cars that will run more on less fuel which became the tradition; people loved the same and compromised safety for mileage. While other developed countries and some of the brands like Tata, Ford, Volvo focus on safety.

 

Research published in Great Britain states XC90 has the pinnacle of safety. The current second-generation XC90 carries the distinctive record of not being involved in any crash-led fatality in the last whopping 14 YEARS!! Below are some of most anticipated features in India, which can be expected for increased safety.

 

 

 

Forward Collision Warning

 

The first one on our list can be a huge saviour if comes to India! We often see many situations where the accident occurs only because the person in front of you suddenly applies the brakes. The forward-collision warning system will always keep a track of the speed of the vehicle moving ahead and will warn you about the impending danger. This system keeps a check on the distance and the speed regularly.

 

 

Emergency Braking:

 

This is a simple yet useful feature. This works on a principle where the car will automatically brake if the driver fails to do so. This is quite quick because the driver might fail to react to a situation as fast as an automated system would do. The automatic emergency braking system is divided into two categories where the City Automatic Braking System helps the driver be safe within the city speed limits whereas the highway automatic braking system does the same job at high speeds.

 

 

Pedestrian Detection System:

 

This one is also among modern-day car safety features because of the excellent utility it provides. In a country like India, where you can spot pedestrians even on the national highways sometimes, this feature can prove to be a life saviour if integrated into Indian cars. An advanced form of the pedestrian detection system is also able to detect cyclists while the car is moving.

 

 

Lane Departure Warning:

 

Continuing our list of modern-day car safety features, we have with us the lane departure warning system. This system warns you if begin to move out of your lane unless you have already indicated to do so. This system employs a camera placed on the windshield near the rearview mirror which keeps a check on the road lane markings ahead and alerts the driver immediately if the car begins to steer away.

 

 

Safety Exit Assist:

 

Hyundai has come up with a really great safety feature that will not only save your car but can also save another person who is approaching your car from behind. Yes, we have seen many times when we unknowingly open our car’s doors and suddenly spot a car or bike coming from behind who may have to struggle a lot to avoid an accident. Hyundai’s advance safety features don’t let the doors open if they sense any vehicle coming from behind. The new Santa Fe has got this feature and we hope more cars will get it soon.

 

 

Adaptive Headlights:

 

Another one that can help you well if you are driving at night. This feature has the ability to rotate the headlight’s direction in the direction of movement of the vehicle. In the picture above, you can see that if the wheels turn, the headlights turn along therefore giving you a better view of what’s ahead. For instance, you can see that the animal on the road is visible to the car with adaptive headlights way before it would be visible to a car with normal headlights thereby saving an accident.

 

 

Blind Spot Detection:

 

Another one on our list of modern car safety features that we want to have here in India is the blind spot detection system. This feature is already here but like other features, this one is also limited to high-end cars. We highly await this feature to be integrated into the mid-range cars because this can be a saviour while driving on highways.

 

 

 

Facial Recognition:

 

Well, this feature will increase the safety of the vehicle and will be a saviour in preventing thefts because just like your smartphone, your car will operate through facial recognition! The same technology as we have in our smartphones has been improvised and put in the new Subaru Forester. Not here in India yet but we hope it gets here soon. At the same time, the owner who drives a car with facial recognition should hope that there is no doppelgänger nearby!

 

Well, this article is not about any car winning an ICOTY award of the year. The point here is about safety, as a car which is awarded ICOTY won't provide the best safety which is the most important aspect. So Be Wise.