Safety matters

Back in the early 90s, when I was still in college, the Yamaha 'Yam' RX100 was the bike that all of us aspired to buy and ride.

Safety matters

Back in the early 90s, when I was still in college, the Yamaha 'Yam' RX100 was the bike that all of us aspired to buy and ride.

This bike was reputed to be a bit dangerous. Nothing wrong with her, actually it is just that people who rode the Yam used to live dangerously. But, over the years, this reputation for danger has steadily built up, and has become almost an urban legend a mechanic I know once told me about a Yam that had claimed 17 lives. This is a bit of a sad thing for the company because the bike is really solid.

When I think of the Nano in this context, I get a little worried. This is a car in which all of us can take some pride in because it is expected to fulfil the aspirations of thousands who would otherwise never have probably owned a car. In July, the first 1 lakh applicants will drive away with the Rs 1 lakh car. But what of their safety? Will people who have accidents blame Tata?

Here, I should mention that my bike, a venerable 1972 Jawa, has 160 mm drum brakes at the front and rear and the braking is superb because the bike is heavy for a bike around 135 kg dry weight. And this brings me to the second matter of concern weight. The Nano weighs just 600 kg. A light car with drum brakes may not be very safe.

This is not to imply that I'm questioning Tata's engineering capability, or its commitment to our safety. All I'm trying to point out is that, just as the Yam got a bad name because of drivers who were not very capable, the Nano, if it gets involved in accidents, may also get a bad name without deserving it.

After all, everybody blames accidents on 'brake failure' even if the fault lies with the driver and not the vehicle. It would be a crying shame if the Nano were to get unnecessarily blamed for accidents even when the faulty lies squarely with the driver. So, shouldn't Tata release the Nano with safer disc brakes? It may cost more, but safety is always worth it.

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