ABS will be mandatory on commercial vehicles from April 2015

The Government of India has made anti-lock braking system (ABS) mandatory on all models of commercial vehicles from April 2015. While upcoming models will be equipped with the safety feature from the next fiscal, manufacturers will have to modify existing models to accommodate ABS within the next six months.

Industry experts claim that the cost of ABS could be between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 75,000 depending upon the type of the vehicle. The cost of a new vehicle equipped with ABS could be higher than one without the feature by Rs. 1 lakh. At present, some manufacturers offer ABS as a part of optional equipment on their top-end offerings.

ABS allows the driver to control a vehicle better during hard braking since it prevents the wheels from locking and the amount of force applied to all wheels is varied electronically to maximise the stopping power. This prevents the vehicle from skidding in emergency braking situations.

77% of the accidents on Indian roads are because of collision, loss of control or lane departure. ABS can plan an instrumental role in reducing the chances of accidents.

Globally, India records the highest number of road accidents every year. In the year 2012, approximately 5 lakh accidents were reported in the country and 1.42 lakh lives were lost. Trucks, buses and multi-axle tractor-trailers are involved in about 30% of these accidents.

While the Government has not made it compulsory for passenger vehicle to be fitted with ABS, we do hope that it does consider taking steps in that direction in the near future. Other safety features like airbags, traction control and heads-up display can also prove useful in saving lives on our roads.

Source: ET Auto