By Raj Rengarajan, MAHA India Automotive Testing Equipment Pvt. ltd.
Only properly serviced vehicles are considered safe vehicles. But how to verify that vehicles are safe and secure and their impact on the public? Why is it so important to have vehicle inspection & certification centres?
Public safety is the most important argument for setting up of inspection and certification centres. The safety level must be the highest possible given by the authorities in charge of public transportation and not a self-made level as from transportation companies which might consider cost compromises.
If we agree on this major issue, we have to make sure that a reliable system is available to ensure vehicle safety.
Basic safety aspects of the vehicle like brake, speedometer, headlight, underbody inspection and exhaust emission are tested / inspected and certified at the I&C station. All necessary test results, alongwith vehicle owner details, are available for review. A nation-wide network of test centres can be created by integrating all the I&C stations.
Here is how a vehicle inspection & certification system is implemented? India has a history of pollution checking, so that the basics are already available. An I&C system of course is a much bigger challenge since reasonable investments on land and equipment have to be made. If an investor is sure that he can make profits out of his investment, an I&C system can be implemented without any public investment. In fact, the State will earn from the I&C stations!
Further, reliable law concerning vehicle testing should be enforced, and, more important, strongly accomplished.
A vital point to note here is the independency of the I&C station and the inspectors. This means that the inspection company and its employees shouldn’t have any interest to pass or fail vehicles. This emphasises the need for separation of workshops and I&C stations.
What will be the impact of the I&C system on the vehicle business?
a) Besides a higher vehicle safety it is proven that implementation of an I&C system has its impact on workshop business.
b) Considering that only 10 per cent of all tested vehicles will show a minor defect which requires spares and labor, it is very obvious how much additional jobs and business can be created!
c) The State will have a much better control over fake spare parts since vehicles will be checked by independent inspectors.
d) Reduction in traffic accidents and, as a result, reduced loss of lives.