| 3rd Annual Konkan Fruit Fest, Goa - May 6-8, 2005 |
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| Today's Events include Fruit Carving - Decor - Watermelon eating |
| Fancy Dress. Check out http://konkanfruit.swiki.net | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- New bus safety rules soon
By: M. Karthikeyan
The Tribune Wednesday, Mar 23, 2005
EVERY day millions of Indians are forced to ride on buses that are sure to fail basic safety tests in other countries. But things are set to change thanks to safety regulations designed by government agency. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the nodal agency under the road transport ministry for testing and certifying vehicles, has for the first time evolved a code that seeks to standardise bus body building in the country. âPoor bus design can not only spoil the performance or increase operating cost, but also result in more fatalities in the event of an accident,â a road transport ministry official told IANS. Under the new set of rules, which are likely to be notified early next year, bus body builders in the organised as well as unorganised sector would be required to build coaches whose designs meet safety standards set by the Pune-based ARAI. To begin with, ARAI itself would develop bus designs for adoption by body builders. These designs would take into account all features of a bus right from construction material to the design of the driverâs seat. âDriverâs workplace should have sufficient interior space considering, safety and comfort,â the official said, quoting from an ARAI document. The main features that would be standardised in all future bus designs would be service doors, emergency exits, steps (number and dimensions), floor height, gangway, hand rails and holds, driver and co-driver seat, passenger seat layout and dimensions, standee passenger area, fuel tanks and bumpers. âAt present, there is no standard code governing safety features in buses. Once the rules are in force all buses should have a specific number of emergency exits, or escape hatch irrespective of who builds it,â the official said. In a country, which has about 150 bus body builders, the ARAI has also mooted giving accreditations to the builders so that the implementation of safety features could be uniform in all states. A body builder should have at least design and development of bus body facility, fabrication components, seat assemblies, inspection and testing facilities to qualify for accreditation. Once the new rules are in place, even accredited body builders developing a new design would have to get it approved from ARAI for safety. These designs would then be subjected to strength and occupant safety tests, including physical roll over test and pendulum test using prototype bus bodies. âThese features are but the first step to making bus travel in India enjoyable and safe,â he said.
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Regards.
Carlos
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