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Automobiles: Speeding The World

The document discusses the growth of the automobile industry in India and around the world. It notes that India now has over 55 lakh vehicles on the road, adding nearly 25 lakh new vehicles each year. This rapid growth has led to increasing traffic and accidents. The document also provides some interesting facts and statistics on the history and development of automobiles and driving regulations internationally.

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Snehal Chintala
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170 views

Automobiles: Speeding The World

The document discusses the growth of the automobile industry in India and around the world. It notes that India now has over 55 lakh vehicles on the road, adding nearly 25 lakh new vehicles each year. This rapid growth has led to increasing traffic and accidents. The document also provides some interesting facts and statistics on the history and development of automobiles and driving regulations internationally.

Uploaded by

Snehal Chintala
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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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 19 th
century.
• Accepted as mode of transport in 20 th
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
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 world’s 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
owner’s initials and as the number
of vehicles increased, the concept of
letters and numericals in
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
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
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 an accident while
T

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
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
15 october, 1966. He got his
th

notoriety enshrined in the Guinness


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
World’s 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 world’s 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.

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