Anti-lock braking system, which is more popularly known as the ABS will soon be made mandatory on two-wheelers, if reports are to be trusted. According to what has been report, the Ministry of Road Transport is looking forward to initiate a plan where ABS will have to be installed on all two-wheelers as a safety measure. This is a conscious effort by the Government to reduce the number of accidents that occur every day due to this issue. Two-wheelers have a tendency that the brake gets jammed when used at higher speeds leading to their delayed release. This increases the chances of skidding and most accidents have this problem behind them. Once ABS is made mandatory, stability of the bikes and their overall safety aspect will get improved.
The government is initially planning to install the ABS system on high displacement motorcycles, which have recently become popular in the country. Certain two-wheeler makers from outside of India already have the ABS installed on their models; however, most of them remove this feature from the models, which are launched in India to reduce their price. Some countries have already made it a rule for ABS to be featured in all two-wheelers. It seems India is also following the similar lines to increase the safety aspect of these models. Once, this aspect is installed on the high performing models, it is expected that the daily commuter models will also be provided with the same on the basis of popularity. The government expects that ABS will gain popularity in India as it reduces accidents by a fair notch.
When statistical data was consulted, it was found out that most of the accidents are caused because of two-wheelers. Among these accidents, most are caused during the monsoon season, when skidding on slippery surfaces is increased. The ABS feature, which is known to reduce the aspect of skidding, is expected to reduce such incidents, which will in turn boost the safety aspects of two-wheelers. In a country, which provides the second largest market for two-wheelers (after China); the safety aspect has to be enhanced for more reasons than one.
This is a bid of the government to improve the overall safety of driving on roads in the near future. Apart from installing the ABS feature, a couple of other measures will also be implemented to increase the safety norms of two-wheelers. The primary target is to bring the safety features of driving in India at par with most other developed countries.
