Updated on 9th August 2014
The Government of India will introduce a new rule which will make it mandatory that commercial vehicles be fitted with a speed governor. These devices will limit the top speed of buses and trucks to 80 KMPH; the government hopes that this measure will help reduce accidents.
In an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 every new bus or truck manufactured after October 1, 2014 will have a speed governor added either during the manufacturing process or at the dealership. The decision of making the speed governors mandatory for commercial vehicles made before the above mentioned date lies in the hands of the respective state governments.
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News Source: Economic Times
Updated on 3rd July 2014
In an attempt to counter the increasing number of accidents on the Indian roads, the new Central Government has made it mandatory for commercial vehicles sold in India to be fitted with ABS. The order will be enacted from April 2015, making it compulsory for the manufacturers to equip the new models with ABS. After seat belts this is the second major safety equipment which has been made compulsory by the Indian government.
ABS stands for Anti-lock Braking System. This system prevents the wheel lock up and provides traction to the wheels on road during hard braking. It delivers electronic distribution of pressure on the wheels thus giving the driver more control and ensuring safe halt. For now this system was being offered as a high end addition in peronal vehicles, but now with this new government order commercial vechile manufacturers are bound to launch every new model equipped with ABS.
India ranks first in the world for maximum incidents of road accidents. In 2012, 1.42 Lakh people lost their life in about 5 Lakh road accidents. Out of these 5 Lakh accidents 30% had commercial vehicles like buses, trucks or tractors involved, while 77% accident reports were because of high speed collision, skidding and loss of control. The addition of ABS could help lower these kind of accidents and save a lot of lives and money.
The addition of mandatory ABS in the commercial vehicles increases the cost by almost Rs.1 Lakh. Thus the cost increase will have to be paid by the consumer for any new model that rolls out after April 2015. The companies will also be given six months in extra to fit the new produced units of the existing models. The coming days might witness some other Government orders suggesting further mandatory additions in the vehicles which make vehicles safer like airbags and heads up display.
What do you think of this measure? Let us know in the comments section below.
