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The Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (VRDE), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), unveiled a new anti-lock braking system (ABS) test facility in Ahmednagar. This facility will be jointly funded by the Defence Ministry and the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

ABS is an active safety feature which prevents the wheels of a vehicle from locking under hard braking, thus the driver is able to retain control over the steering and is in the position to steer away from an obstacle at speeds.

This track facility has been created to conduct research and development of ABS for four wheelers, heavy vehicles and two wheelers. Several types of surfaces have been created to replicate the road and weather conditions that a vehicle would encounter during its life cycle.

Although the track is developed for defence vehicles application, it will be offered to automotive industries too for various kinds of performance evaluations, Central Motor Vehicle Regulations certification and export homologation.

Recently, the Government announced that ABS will be mandatory in all commercial vehicles from April 2015. These are steps taken in the right direction towards the research and inclusion of active safety features in new vehicles.


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