In an attempt to make roads safer, the Union government will soon make it mandatory for all two-wheelers to fit anti-lock braking system (ABS) and combined braking system (CBS) by April 2019.
The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry, which has released the draft notification, had earlier planned to implement the rule on all two-wheelers by April 2018. However, senior Ministry officials said the delay in bringing the final notification may push the deadlines a year further.
“If we took a call on the deadline a year back and it took time to frame the policy, then we might need to extend the deadline by a year,” said a senior official.
The Ministry has proposed mandating ABS for all vehicles with an engine capacity above 125 cc and CBS for vehicles below 125 cc engine. While ABS helps the rider to maintain stability while applying brakes, the CBS distributes the pressure applied on the rear wheel to the front wheel. At present, two-wheelers account for the highest share in road accidents. In 2014, two-wheelers accounted for around 27 per cent of the total road accidents.
ABS will be mandatory for all new models with more than 125 cc engine from April 2017 and the existing ones from April 2018. Also, the Ministry’s notification set an April 2017 deadline for CBS in all new models of two-wheelers with less than 125cc engine and April 2018 for existing models.
