With more and more car-makers working on fully automatic vehicles, there will be a time when one may face the dilemma of whom to fine for speeding — the vehicle maker or the driver, feels Jochen Feese, Senior Manager, Accident Research, Sensor Functions and Pedestrian Protection at Daimler AG. He was here recently for the launch of German car-maker Mercedes Benz’s campaign on road safety. BusinessLine met with Feese and Manu Saale, MD & CEO-Research & Development, Mercedes Benz India, to discuss issues relating to road safety in India. Edited excerpts:
In India, a large number of fatal road accidents is not related to cars. As a premium car-maker , how do you plan to contribute to road safety?
Fesse: We started only recently in India and are in the process of building research. But we can say with surety that addressing behavioural factors is really crucial. Say, for instance, wearing seat belts. The number of people wearing seat belts in India on a regular basis is as low as below 2 per cent. So, seat belt training is imperative in India.
When it comes to road accidents, which other country do you find closest to India?
Fesse: We can see similar patterns of highly vulnerable users in China where the present road structure is not synonymous with the road safety standards. They lack a supportive infrastructure as well.
Based on your accident analysis, how many times do you think the road design has to be changed to fix the black spots?
Fesse: Developed countries exhibit declining rate of accidents vis-a-vis the developing nations. You can clearly see that road design features help in those countries.
Overloading and protruding cargo in commercial vehicles is a big problem in India. In this context, what kind of safety mechanisms can you fit in to commercial vehicles?
Fesse: Overloading is a big problem in a lot of countries, including India. In Germany, we have enforcement of law for this. Trucks and tyres are checked regularly on autobahn, even of foreign vehicles that move through Germany.
What are your views on speed governors or speed-limiting devices in vehicles in India, given that highways here have a maximum permissible limit of 100 kmph?
Fesse: In Germany, we have driving recorder for trucks which emulate exact road science. But in passenger cars, there is the question of personal freedom.
Is it possible to have tracking devices that relay information about when the speed limit is crossed, instead of putting the entire onus on law enforcement agencies?
Fesse: If we are looking in the future… and working on fully automated vehicles, this will definitely be an issue. A fully automated vehicle may be controlled by a passenger at times. So, if there is over-speeding, we have to discuss as to who gets the ticket – the vehicle manufacturer or the driver? Definitely, we need to work on such devices.
Can you share some India-specific low-cost innovations?
Manu Saale: When it comes to innovation, we don’t talk low cost. We are talking about luxury products that are market-specific. For example, child safety is typical of emerging markets like India. In developed countries, people drive themselves. Here, even the smallest of Mercedes cars have drivers with owners sitting in the back seat. So, we have paid lot of attention to how male/ female passengers occupying the back seat feel.
Which country’s safety regulator do you think is most lenient or most easy to deal with?
Saale: Developed countries are better informed about infrastructure-related must haves from a road-safety perspective. In emerging markets, such as India, this is a challenge.
You are an on OEM. Do you deal with safety regulators?
Fesse: Safety regulators are country-specific, OEM-specific. Also, safety requirements now are coming from consumer organisations, even in India. And sometimes, they are more active.
In your R&D unit, do you have a metric that tracks safety regulations of various countries?
Both: No.