I wonder how many hours people waste in a lifetime, searching for the bonnet release handles/catches on cars that are unfamiliar to them? Even though I am in the trade, with long experience, I still come across vehicles in which the designers have cleverly concealed the interior bonnet pull handles in the most ridiculously obscure positions.
A similar difficulty applies also to the bonnet’s external release handle, usually (but with a few notable exceptions) coloured black and difficult to spot under the leading edge of the bonnet…
There will now be a long pause while we fumble around trying to find the release handle(s).
Now most of the time this is just an annoying inconvenience, but there are occasions when seconds count, and it is absolutely NECESSARY to open a bonnet as rapidly as possible. For example, if there’s an engine bay fire (heaven forbid), or if the car has been involved in an accident and there’s an urgent need to disconnect the electrics – and so on.
So, for the sake of the owners of the vehicle throughout its life, for the garage operators/mechanics who have to look after the car, and for the emergency services, why on earth is there no obligation for vehicle manufacturers to position the bonnet release catches/handles in approximately the same area on each car?
I fully appreciate that car makers need to make their products different from those of their competitors, but this is one area where standardisation would be a distinct advantage – and could save lives.
