To put brakes on accidents, ABS made mandatory for commercial vehicles

To make Delhi’s roads safer, the government on Thursday ordered all commercial vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, this year, to be fixed with anti-lock braking system (ABS).

To make Delhi’s roads safer, the government on Thursday ordered all commercial vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, this year, to be fixed with anti-lock braking system (ABS).

“ABS primarily allows the driver to retain control over the vehicle in case emergency brakes are applied. The gadget prevents the wheels from locking when brakes are applied at high-speeds during panic-induced situations. This reduces the chances of the vehicles from skidding and losing control on road,” said a senior transport department official.

According to the government’s Accident Analysis Report of 2012, trucks, buses and tractor-trailers were involved in over 30% of the accidents reported in the country. Surprisingly, loss of control over the vehicle was reported to be a major contributor to these accidents.

The report also showed that a total of 1.42 lakh people lost their lives in 5 lakh accidents, which means one death on the road every four minutes.

It was also noted that around 77% of accidents are due to collision, lack of control and lane departure.

Traffic experts said that ABS will allow vehicles to be in control during emergency braking, especially when they are at high speeds, thereby reducing the chances of accidents.

ABS will make sure that the wheels don’t lock, thus allowing better braking. Apart from this, traction control by electronic distribution will ensure equal pressure to all wheels. The system enhances vehicle control, reduces stopping distance and brings about controlled stopping thus keeping the driver in control of the vehicle in instances of emergency braking.

With the rule coming into effect for commercial vehicles, ABS is not yet compulsory for passenger vehicles, though most manufacturers already offer this feature as an option.

“Commercial vehicle manufacturers in India offer ABS as an option on top end trucks and buses while with this feature being made mandatory, the cost of ABS will add to the cost of the vehicle depending on the model. New trucks and buses will have to receive this feature from Thursday itself, while manufacturers will be granted six months to ensure that ABS is fitted on new vehicles sold under existing models,” said the official.