Festive Boost
The sales of new cars are witnessing record numbers during the current festive season with sport utility vehicles (SUV) accounting for over 50 per cent of those.
The automobile industry is witnessing a sea of change in the propulsion system. Everybody is talking about electric vehicles (EV) at the moment. At the same time, research is being conducted to see if lithium-ion batteries are the answer to the problem of pollution. It shows that the manufacture of a battery-operated car gives rise to four times CO2 to compared to an internal-combustion engine (ICE) car. It also requires more than double the raw materials compared to a regular car. A study was conducted in the city of Illinois in the United States of America to convert its entire fleet of local city buses. It so transpired that the power required to charge the fleet was greater than the entire city’s consumption and hence the project was shelved.
A survey on road safety was conducted recently to determine the cause of accidents. It revealed that driving on the wrong side and speeding contribute to more than 80 per cent of the road accidents. Driving on the wrong side of the road has become one of the biggest problems in India. Nowadays people just do not want to drive for those extra 100 metres to make a U-turn within the city or a kilometre or two on the highway. Such selfish and careless behaviour lands them in trouble. More often than not, the people who suffer are those who obey traffic rules. They become prey to mishap and injury while trying to avoid a two-wheeler, car or heavy vehicle coming down the wrong side of the road. The speed limit in Himachal Pradesh is 60 km/h on the highway. This is ridiculous. People driving on the wrong side should be penalised heavily and their driving licences should be rescinded.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
