Stop the Crash! moves to India and again features motorcycle safety
Wednesday 26th September 2018 saw delegates from around the world attend the latest edition of this campaign. Held at the Buddh International circuit outside Delhi there were demonstrations of car safety technologies. Also – motorcycle safety was a major part with a demonstration of an ABS equipped TVS motorcycle. The ABS unit is very small and fits in the palm of a hand. It is connected to the hydraulics of the braking system and the wiring of the motorcycle. Sensors on the wheel detect any change in the vehicle stability through the wheel locking and adjust the hydraulic pressure. Stop the Crash! is a campaign of Global NCAP. Chairman Lauchlan McIntosh spoke of the importance of new technologies in reducing traffic collisions for both cars and motorcycles. “It is very important we show people how exactly how small technologies can make a big difference to motorcycles, and to cars in reducing crashes because crashes kill and injure people. We need less of those and the more we can use technology to help. We use technology in all sorts of areas to help ourselves. We need to show people how technology can help them when they are driving and riding. – Very simply. The more people can see them the more they will ask for them and manufacturers will deliver them. So, this is very important here in Delhi today.” Dr Rohit Baluja, President of the Institute for Road Traffic Education, which hosted the event in India stressed the importance of these new technologies to developing countries. “Minor violations such as someone walking onto the road, or not respecting a sign, or an animal in the road are far higher than in the developed world. I estimate it is as much as ten times more. We know that if you do not keep your eyes on the road for two seconds your risk is twenty-four times higher. But here it could be as little as half a second to react.” The good news is that India recently adopted a new law modelled on the safety aspects of Euro 4 in the European Union bringing in anti-lock brakes on motorcycles sold in the domestic market. India has also mandated daytime headlights for all new motorcycles using automatic headlights on technology. This means when the engine is started the lights come on and there is no longer an on/off switch. This was very evident in the traffic mix with the new motorcycles really showing up. FIM hopes that now this is seen riders of older motorcycles will switch their lights on too. Just as riders in Europe did many years ago when they learned about motorcycles in the USA which were the first to be equipped with AHO. It took some time for Europe to follow the USA with an AHO law. India has moved fast in following now.
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