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DL goes high tech but are we ready?
Government of India under the e-Governance initiative has issued a circular for issuance of driving licenses on a smart card. This will be implemented in phases and is applicable across the country in all states and union territories. The states of Gujarat, Goa, Jharkhand, MP, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Sikkim, West Bengal, Chandigarh and Kerala are leading the initiative. National Informatics Center (NIC) along with private players have set shop at RTOs and ARTOs for issue of smart card based driving licenses. This high tech end product has its own benefits and provides a fool proof system for holding, verifying and authenticating drivers identity and other details. Equipped with hand held terminals the traffic police officers will now be able to use the smart card driving licenses and perform their duties efficiently and effectively. However, what remains to be rectified is the fact that the driving schools in India continue to provide low grade training and promote corruption by assisting learners to obtain licenses without meeting minimum criteria. The result is compromising road safety. Poor driving combined with low patience produces road rage, which is a daily occurrence on our roads. Bad driving conditions do not help reduce these incidents. Whether driving within city limits or on a highway, all of us must have seen or been an unfortunate victim of road rage. In some instances the matter has spiraled out of hand and resulted in a fatality. And, all this because of bad driving? Sometimes one is forced to think where is India headed for? A major contributing factor for poor driving and Road rage in India is the lack of road or traffic signs coupled with ignorance about their need and usage. Traffic rules are violated by all and sundry. Some people even think that jumping traffic lights, over speeding or over taking from wrong side are in things and must be done regularly to prove your driving skills. The whole process of issuing of Driving Licenses in India needs a revamp. Our model should be based on UK or UAE where getting a passport is easier than obtaining a driving license. Parthiv is the contributing author to the website: Indiandrivingschools.com-Indian Driving Schools is the first dedicated Indian Traffic Portal-Made to improve road safety through education and information about <a href=http://www.indiandrivingschools.com>Road safety in India</a>, Road rage in India, <a href=http://www.indiandrivingschools.com>Traffic rules in India</a>, <a href=http://www.indiandrivingschools.com>Road accidents in india</a> and online traffic forms in India.
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10 Tips for Improving Fuel Efficiency
1] Slow Down On The highway Your car is optimized to drive at 40-60mph(80-100km/hr), when you drive 70-80+mph fuel efficiency drops by up to a whooping 33% . Yes 33% , that is not a typo. I had heard this before and thought it was an exaggeration, then I drove the new Chevrolet Cobalt which has a fuel efficiency gauge in it and I saw it first hand, what a surprise. Is it worth speeding to save 5 minutes off your commute to work so you can just get held up in city traffic? Between the lost fuel efficiency, the extra wear and tear on the car driving beyond optimized speeds and inherent safety concerns I will need a good reason to start speeding on the highway from now on. 2] Cruise In The City The same idea applies in city driving. Speeding up to make the next red light guzzles gas and is hard on your car. This can decrease fuel efficiency by 5%. Why hurry up just to make the next red light? Let’s face it, speeding in the city doesn’t get you anywhere’s faster. If you drive like a bat out of hell you might make an extra light or two and chop a mere 2-4 minutes off your commute assuming you make it there alive. I drive at sane speeds throughout the city while most others fly by me and hard brake at the next red light, I then pull up beside them or even pass them as I may not of needed to stop as the lights are usually synchronized for sane driving speeds not surprisingly (it also takes more gas to get back up to speed than to maintain it). So have some fun watching people fly by you and seeing them at the next red light knowing your car is much better off. 3] Tire Pressure Here’s one everyone can do easily. It only takes a couple minutes to check your tires pressure. Under inflated tires can result in 3% less fuel efficiency. 4] Link Your Trips/Errands Plan your trip to include as many destinations or errands as possible. Fewer trips means less cold starts, better fuel efficiency and less driving than multiple small trips. 5] Avoid Unnecessary Idling. You’re getting 0 mpg for this one. If you’re going to wait 5-10 minutes for a friend give your car and wallet a break. For those who live in colder climates this is a bigger issue. We all want our cars toasty warm in the winter time when we get inside. Today’s cars really only needs 30 second of idling to warm up even in cold weather, then 1-2 minutes of driving to get it fully warmed up. So bundle up and save yourself a bundle. 6] Maintain Your Car Inexpensive oil and air filter changes can boost your cars performance and increase your cars lifespan. A blocked air filter can decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 10% and a misfiring spark plug won’t help either. So try to follow your cars service manual.. It beats dealing with an unexpected major repair and major inconvenience.. 7] Monitor Your Fuel efficiency I like to measure how many miles / KM I get on half a tank after filling it up. It’s easier to measure this way as we don’t let our gas tanks completely run dry and its impossible to estimate how much was left when you fill it up again. You can see how your driving habits affect your fuel economy and if your habits haven’t changed and you fuel economy drops off, then maybe its time for some car maintenance. Purchasing a fuel consumption gauge (if you car doesn’t already have one) can give you real time feedback and more accurate reading. This provides great instant feedback on driving habits. 8] Remove Unnecessary Items From Your Car For each extra 100lbs you lose 1-2% fuel efficiency, so get the golf clubs out of the trunk until your next tee off time. Leaving items on your roof rack also creates extra drag which makes your car work harder, so lock your mountain bikes up till the next trip. 9] Jack Rabbit Starts Some people like to suddenly accelerate by putting their foot to the floor. This guzzles gas and gives marginal speed improvement to a gradual acceleration. 10] Back Off Tail gating results in unnecessary breaking and accelerating. Hang back a little more and you can avoid the added stress and save some gas. It’s also safer to drive this way, give yourself an extra second to avoid an accident ! Paul Fezziwig writes for and administers 'Green Cars Now', <a href="http://www.greencarsnow.com">http://www.greencarsnow.com</a> , a website devoted to promoting fuel efficient vehicles and driving habits.
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