Automobiles : Speeding the World

There has been an boom in recent years, raising the numbers of vehicles on Indian roads to more than 55 lakh, with an addition of nearly automobiles expected annually.

Urbanisation & Industrialisation caused growth in revolution. India is no exception. 30 million KM of road network. 800 million cars. Man & vehicles occupy 1/4th of urban area.

Average
Beginning of 19th century : 0.3 KM 1930 : 3 KM 1960 : 30 KM 1980 : 40 KM Beginning of 20th century : 50 KM

Auto explosion is a very recent phenomenon in India and his occupied centre stage only in last quarter century. Though the 1 million mark for cars was achieved in India in 1980 as against 1913 in US, problems are already assuming gigantic proportions with the addition of nearly 25 lakh vehicles every year.

Traffic Signals
Automobiles were invented in 19th century. th Accepted as mode of transport in 20 century. In India, the first traffic signal was installed in Mumbai only in June 1955

Experimented during 1912 23. The 1st signal was installed in London on 1868 at George and Bridge streets. In 1914, the signal was received at the intersection of 105th street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland (US). A bell was rung during the change from green to red.

Buchanan, the renowed transport expert, has observed: We are nourished a monster of great potential destructiveness. And yet we love him dearly. Regarded as the traffic problem, the motor car is clearly a menance that can spoil our civilisation

Ivan D. Illich, the famous environmentalist, states that the typical American devotes more than 1600 hrs a year to his car to get 7500 miles (12,000 KM) which comes to less than 8 km/h. He travels, on an average as many miles as his ancestors most of which is through tunnels, corridors, parking lots and stores.

The oldest driver to pass driving test was Layne Hall of New York. He was a licence on 15th June, 1989 when he was 109 yrs old. He died on 20th Nov., 1990

A handicapped person is permitted to import a vehicle specially designed for his use

Persistence Pays
If, at first, you do not succeed, try again, again and again. Mr. David Guest of UK did not give up taking driving tests in spite of repeated rejections and ultimately triumphed in February, 1995 after 632 lessons and 17 years of trying. He spent 5000 pounds (Rs. 2.5 lac approx.) on lessons, tried 8 different instructions and crashed 5 cars before fulfilling his long cherished dream of obtaining a driving license. The main problem with him was that he used to mix up the clutch and the brake !

IT IS IN EGYPT
where if you can drive 6 metres forward, and an equal distance in reverse, it is sufficient to make you an eligible driver

The driving licence system was first introduced in the year 1903 in Great Britian. The driver was required to pay 1 pound towards registration and 5 shillings for the driving licence. Interestingly, there was no driving test; the licence could be obtained by making the payment at a post office.

The first woman to drive a car in India was Mrs. Suzanne R.D. Tata Bombay, sometime around 1905. The honour of the first woman taxi driver in India goes to Jasbir Kaur of Kolkatta. She started driving in the year 1989.

The worlds first number plates were introduced by the Paris Police in 1893. It was later followed by New York State (USA) in 1902, and British Police in 1903. Initially, these number plates bore only the owners initials and as the number of vehicles increased, the concept of letters and numericals in combination was introduced.

Rear View Mirror

It owes its origin to a book called The woman and the car, which advised woman drivers to carry a little hand mirror under the driving seat. While reparing her make up every few minutes, the lady could also see what was coming behind her. This later led to the idea of fixing such mirrors on all cars, some time in 1914.

First Wiper
The first mechanical windscreen wiper was introduced in USA in 1916. Earlier, the drivers used to clean their windscreens with the help of sliced potatoes !

The Red Flag Act

was passed in Great Britian in 1865 to warn people of the approach of motor vehicles which, at that time, were noisy, smoky and a frightening experience for horses. The act specified that a man carriying a red flag by day and a red lantern at night must walk in front of the motor carriage whose speed was limited to 3 km/h in town, and 6 km/h on country roads.

Accidents
Growth in automobiles led to traffic hazards 10 lakh people die and 1.5 crore injures world wide In India .

85,000 people die.

5.25 lakh injures.  4.50 lakh accidents on 37 lakh km of road network.  50% accidents are caused in 40 metropolitan cities.

The first automobile accident occurred in May 30, 1896 in New York City when a car collided with a bicycle and broke Ms. Thomas leg

The first fatal accident however, was reported in London on February 26, 1899 when the driver of a car met with T an accident while negotiating a turn on Grove Hill.

What an accident ! Can you

imagine an accident involving 200 vehicles ? It did happen on September 13, 1971, in England. Fortunately, the death toll was no higher than 11, though 60 persons were injured.

The worst accident in India

occurred on March 16, 1988 near Raipur when a bus carrying a marriage party caught fire and fell into a ditch. As many as 130 persons out of the total 150 were killed.

The Longest Car

The longest car in the world is in US. It is 100 feet long and has 26 wheels. This car has a swimming pool with diving board, place for a helicopter to land, an office, a drawing room, bedroom and bathrooms fitted with geysers. Its kitchen has all the facilities like refrigerators, bar etc.

The Longest Traffic Jam The longest ever traffic jam occurred in Paris on February 16, 1980 when the queueing spread over an unimaginable long distance of 176 km between Lyon and Paris.

In India, the heaviest traffic jam was in Mumbai on July 13, 1983 when a power failure, coupled with rains, locked the entire traffic in the city by 6 pm and it was only around 4.30 early next morning that the jam was finally cleared.

First car in India

The first car of India was that of Mr. Foster of M/s. Crompton Greaves Company. It was brought to India in 1897.

The first Indian to own a car, however, was Mr. Jamshedji Tata in 1901. The first taxi arrived in India in the year 1911 and Mumbai received this honour

The first manned vehicle on the moon was driven in August 1971, as a part of the Apollo 15 mission. It could cruise at a maximum speed of 17 km/h, powered by two 36 volt silver zinc batteries. Long time yet, for traffic jams on moon !

Old is Gold
Speeding is not a temptation for youngsters alone. Mr. Roy M. Rawlins of California (US) was apprehended and warned for driving at 152 km/h in June 1974. When he was just 104 years old. What a way to go !

The Worst Driver

A 75 year old male driver from Texas (US) received 10 traffic tickets, for driving on the wrong carriageway 4 times, committing 4 hit and run offences and causing 6 accidents, all within 20 minutes, on 15th october, 1966. He got his notoriety enshrined in the Guinness Book of Records.

The first motorcycle was invented in 1855 by Gottlieb Daimler of Germany, by attaching a 4 stroke engine to a wooden bicycle frame

The latest is the Bubble Bike. The unbreakable polycarbonate bubble keeps the driver warm and safe from rain and wind, rendering helmets and weather proof clothing redundant.

Road
Roads are as old as 3500 BC. One of the oldest road systems was the Old Silk Trade Route connecting China with Rome, spreading over a distance of nearly 9700 km. This route was mainly used by merchants to carry Chinese silk across Turkey, India and Persia.

Worlds Longest Tunnel

The longest road tunnel in the world is the St. Gotthard Road tunnel. With a length of 16.3 km, it connects Goschennen to Airolo (Switzerland)

Narrowest Street
The worlds narrowest street is in the village of Ripatransone in the Marche region of Italy. It is called Vicolo della Virilita and is just 43 cm wide. No entry for wide bodies !

The First Woman Driver

Parvati Arya of Madhya Pradesh started driving in the year 1975. Her truck (MBU 4534) was also used as her house on wheels and she did not employ any helper.

Vehicle Thefts
Every year 36,000 vehicles are stolen in India. Worth Rs. 115 crore Mainly in metropolitan cities.