India is home to some of the world’s deadliest roads. However, international automobile makers do not provide standard safety features in entry-level cars sold in India that are required in other developed countries. India’s death toll on the roads has ranked top in the world for eight straight years, exceeding 130,000 fatalities a year. Despite this, automakers strip safety features such as air bags and antilock brakes out of the cars most people in India drive. They argue that Indian consumers cannot afford or are not willing to pay for safety features that could increase the cost of the car by 30 percent or more. Some manufacturers have begun to offer more safety features as standard in their models. But other producers are offering them only as an option, and some are not offering them at all to maintain price competitiveness. Is it right for manufacturers to include product safety features that are known to save lives in countries that require them but not to include such features in a country where they are not specifically required?
India is home to some of the world’s deadliest roads. However, international automobile makers do not provide standard safety features in entry-level cars sold in India that are required in other developed countries. India’s death toll on the roads has ranked top in the world for eight straight years, exceeding 130,000 fatalities a year. Despite this, automakers strip safety features such as air bags and antilock brakes out of the cars most people in India drive. They argue that Indian consumers cannot afford or are not willing to pay for safety features that could increase the cost of the car by 30 percent or more. Some manufacturers have begun to offer more safety features as standard in their models. But other producers are offering them only as an option, and some are not offering them at all to maintain price competitiveness. Is it right for manufacturers to include product safety features that are known to save lives in countries that require them but not to include such features in a country where they are not specifically required?
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