Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories!

Motor vehicles, since their inception, have been a status symbol and style quotient for most of us. The very idea of being able to drive a machine and reach your destination in significantly very less time then otherwise is inspiring enough to beautify your ride according to your choice. Although the car makers invest months on design research to provide the best possible looking cars, aftermarket accessories add that little extra to your ride giving it a personal touch.  But as a matter of fact, any installation on your vehicle apart from original structure or chassis is ethically wrong and practically dangerous too. Before you make your decision of installing any aftermarket accessory, take a look at the dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories.

Also read - Maruti Suzuki Car Accessories

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Bull Bars

Delhi High Court has already issued a notice to ban the use of bull bars on motor vehicles. People generally install these crash guards to protect their vehicle during a crash. But according to a study, these aftermarket bull bars disturb the aerodynamics of the car and are extremely dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists during an accident.

Actual Use

- The actual use of bull guards or crash guards is for adventure motor vehicles in off-road conditions. They help to protect the car chassis from damage while driving on stone based surfaces where a big boulder or a block of stone could hit the bumpers.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Suspension Kits

Another aftermarket accessory that people install on their vehicles is a suspension or car body lift kit. These kits generally involve tampering with the car’s suspension mechanism and use bigger tires. When cars installed with suspension kits are driven on our city roads, they pose an immense risk of the car being rollover or turtle along the way.

Actual Use

: The actual use of these suspension kits is in off-road adventure motorsports. While driving on mountainous paths where no defined roads are laid, these kits can help the car move smoothly.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Sunroof

The idea of being able to put our head out of the sunroof and feel the wind on our face while the car is in motion is enough exaggerated by the Bollywood sitcoms. In the present market scenario, many automakers provide sunroofs pre-installed on vehicles. But the problem arises when you get an aftermarket sunroof kit installed. They hamper the car’s structural airflow around the body. An aftermarket sunroof also disturbs the structural rigidity of the car making it really unsafe for passengers in the vehicle at the time of a crash.

Actual Use

: The actual use of a sunroof in a car is to provide a sense of ‘openness’ inside the cabin and to let fresh air pass through the cabin without interfering with the car’s aerodynamics while cruising on a highway.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Steering Cover

This is one accessory which is completely unnecessary and poses an immense threat to the driver's safety. Imagine you are driving on the road and need to make a U-turn. You switch the blinkers on and the moment you start to take the turn, the steering cover slip on the steering surface.  Sounds scary enough?

Actual Use

: The actual use of a steering cover is to provide increased stability and grip to the driver while turning the wheel. Although, the steering wheels on all modern day cars are ergonomically designed to give maximum grip to the driver while driving the car.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Floor Mat

The aftermarket presents numerous floor mats in different shapes and sizes. A wrongly designed or oversized floor mat could make the driving experience very dangerous because it can disrupt the pedal shift mechanism and could also stick with your footwear.

Actual Use

: The actual use of a floor mat is to keep the interior clean from dust and dirt which may be stuck to your footwear. Although a floor mat in your car is a complete necessity, wrongly sized mats could be really dangerous.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Lamp Blackout Kit

Many people install lamp blackout kits on their car’s headlamps and tail lamps to make the car look more aggressive and dynamic. These blackout tapes disrupt the light from the headlamps and tail lamps making it very difficult to keep an eye on the road while driving. It also poses a threat to fellow motorists on the road because they can’t spot you because of darkened tail lamps.

Actual Use

- There is no defined actual use for lamp blackout kits. People use it as a styling feature on their cars.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Curtains/ Films

The Government of India has already taken initiative and banned all the tinted car glass shields a few years back. People use these blind films or curtains to protect the sun’s heat from entering the cabin and also for some added privacy. But they make the car driving experience much more dangerous by making it difficult for the driver to spot obstacle around the vehicle. They block the visibility angle for the motorist making him vulnerable to crashes and accidents.

Actual Use

: The actual use of curtains/tinted glass films was to protect the heat from entering the car’s cabin in the hot climate of India.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - LED light bar

This is one accessory which could be more dangerous for fellow motorists on the road. The LED light bars are usually extremely bright and could blind the on-coming traffic. This could result in major accidents along the road.

Actual Use

: The actual use of LED light bars is for adventure motorsports. They add extra visibility in off-road conditions where there is no oncoming traffic mostly.

Dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories - Shrill Horns

Use of horns producing more noise then the approved limit is already banned across the nation. But in spite of the fact, many people choose to install shrill horns which produce extremely high-frequency noise. These horns can damage the hearing ability of fellow pedestrians and motorists on the road. And could also scare two-wheeler riders which could result in a crash.

Actual use

: There is no actual use of shrill horns. So, What's your take on the dangers of installing aftermarket car accessories?