Essential Road Safety Equipment

7 min readJan 8, 2022

Road crashes and deaths in India have been on a steady rise over the past few years. With the increasing number of vehicles on the road, the increase in high-speed expressways, and the general careless outlook towards road safety in our country, the crash numbers may continue to increase. With the increasing risks of road crashes on our roads, we need to take additional steps to ensure our safety.

When it comes to road safety, it is important to differentiate the things that are in our control and out of our control. After all, we can only do the things in our control. We cannot control how other road users behave. However, we have complete control over our actions and can take steps to protect ourselves from injuries.

Thankfully we also have many tools and equipment to keep us safe on the roads. In this article, I would like to discuss some road safety essential equipment we should always carry with us on the roads. We will look at important equipment for different vehicle types.

Essential Road Safety Equipment for Two-wheelers (including Bicyclists)

Two-wheelers are the most used vehicles on Indian roads. Unfortunately, at the same time, they are also the riskiest of all vehicles and are rightfully categorized as Vulnerable Road Users. Here is a list of essential equipment for two-wheelers.

Helmet

Undoubtedly, the most important safety equipment on a two-wheeler. Considering the risks involved in traveling on two-wheelers, you should never travel without a helmet. It doesn’t matter if you are riding or sitting behind. Children should also wear helmets.

Here are some guidelines for getting a helmet:

Look for a helmet with an ISI rating. Do not buy helmets from roadsides.
Make sure that the helmet fitment is right. The helmet fitting should be just tight enough to slightly press on your head and cheeks.
Children need to wear smaller helmets that fit them perfectly.
Always tighten the strap of your helmet. Otherwise, the helmet will just fly off your head in a crash. A helmet without a strap is as good as not wearing a helmet at all!
Consider getting a helmet with MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) technology for bicycles. These helmets are better equipped to handle forces from all directions.

Protective Gear

Helmets are a necessity and provide basic protection in most crashes. However, helmets may not be sufficient for crashes at high speeds or involving collisions with heavy objects that involve injuries to other areas of the body such as the chest, abdomen, and back. Consider additional protective gear such as jackets, gloves, riding pants, etc. Of all these, jackets are the most essential as they have armored protection for the chest, shoulders, and back.

Safety Harness for young children

Helmets are a must for children on two-wheelers. However, younger children also face an additional risk of losing balance and falling off a two-wheeler due to a sudden movement. In many cases, the parents are not able to hold their children properly. To ensure that children are held firmly while riding on two-wheelers, you can consider getting a safety harness. The harness uses a mechanism to tie the child to the parent. The Indian Government has made safety harnesses compulsory for all children aged 4 and under below from 2023.

My suggestion is to have children use the harness until they can sit independently on two-wheelers without any monitoring. Please note that the harness won’t provide crash protection. It will only protect the child from falling off accidentally.

Reflective strips or jackets

Two-wheelers are the smallest vehicles on the road. Sometimes it can be hard for larger vehicle drivers to spot two-wheelers. Especially at night. I have investigated many crashes that occurred because the larger vehicle’s driver was not able to spot the motorcycle or bicyclist. This is why I suggest every two-wheeler have reflective strips on all sides. A good reflective strip is one of the cheapest and most reliable ways to increase safety by improving visibility. Cyclists should also consider wearing a reflective jacket for additional visibility.

Dynamo Lights (for bicycles)

Visibility of the road is equally important while riding. Motorcycles and scooters have headlights to view the road. Cycles do not have any lights to illuminate the road. I suggest every cyclist get dynamo lights. Such lights also make it easier for cyclists to be spotted by other vehicles.

Essential Road Safety Equipment for Cars

Cars provide much better protection than two-wheelers. But, that does not mean that cars will save you from all crashes. There are some additional tools that car owners should always carry.

Tyre pressure/tread measuring tool

A car cannot move safely if the tyres are not in a good condition. Do not ignore tyre safety. Always carry a good tyre pressure sensor, tread gauge, and a tyre inflator for emergencies. You can read my detailed article on tyre safety to learn more about these tools.

Spare wheel and jack

One of the basic life-saving skills every car owner must know is how to change tyres. A car jack and a spare wheel are absolute necessities for all vehicles.

Child Car Seat

The seat belt is the most important safety feature in a car. However, seatbelts are designed for adults. What about children?

Having children unrestrained or carrying them on laps is highly risky. Here is what may happen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GVRIqpwMVE

Children require a dedicated safety device known as a child car seat. Check this detailed article to find more about child car seats. If you are already aware of child seats, you can check here to find my child seat recommendations.

Dash Cams

Dashboard Cameras or Dash Cams are not a device that will directly provide crash safety. However, in India, dash cams are just as important as other safety tools.

Dash Cams can protect you from false allegations in crashes and road rage scenarios. A Dash Cam will certainly give you peace of mind. It is my firm belief that every car in India needs to have a Dash Cam.

Based on my experience, I would like to recommend the following models:

70MAI Smart: a good budget cam if you are Ok with no built-in display.
70MAI Pro Plus: An advanced version of the 70MAI Smart. Loaded with features.
Viofo A119 V3: My personal recommendation for your first dash cam. A dash cam that you can fix and forget. Highly reliable.
Viofo A129 Pro Duo: An excellent dual-camera dash cam that comes with the same reliability as the A119.

You can read this article to find out more about the importance of Dash Cams.

Fire extinguishers

Vehicle fires are a major safety risk. This risk is going to be compounded by the rise of electric vehicles. Always carry a fire extinguisher in your vehicle.

Warning Triangles and reflective jackets

In case of an emergency, you may have to park your vehicle in the middle of the side of the road. This is extremely dangerous as an insufficient warning of parked vehicles leads to many crashes, especially at night. Always have an advanced warning triangle in your car. In addition to this, it is also a good idea to keep a couple of reflective jackets ready for emergencies.

General Road Safety Equipment for all vehicles

In addition to the essential equipment we saw above, some tools should be used in all vehicles:

First Aid Kit

Inability to get immediate treatment for injuries is one of the major causes of crash fatalities and injuries. When left untreated, even a simple injury can get severe. Emergency medical services in India have come a long way. However, if you are involved in a crash in a remote area it may not be possible for ambulances to get to you immediately. That is why it is extremely important to carry a well-equipped First Aid Kit.

Road Safety Assistance (RSA) details

Almost all vehicle manufacturers provide a Road Side Assistance (RSA) service that is extremely useful when you have no access to standard towing service or mechanics. Always carry the details of your RSA along with your vehicle papers.

Alternatively, you can also consider an Emergency Kit that contains tools for tyre repair/replacement and jump-starting a car. However, I would recommend using these items only if you are sufficiently trained.

Road Safety Equipment cannot replace basic Road Safety Rules

All the essential road safety equipment mentioned in this article will provide an additional safety cushion. But, that does not mean we should throw caution to the wind and forget the basics of road safety. Here are some basic road safety tips:

Keeping ourselves safe on the roads requires constant vigilance. Additional road safety equipment will lower our risk of getting injured in crashes.

Originally published at https://www.roadsafetyguy.com on January 8, 2022.