Last week some of us travelled to Neemrana in Rajasthan for an editorial brainstorming session. As usual I ended up suggesting cars to my friends in Business Standard. You see, these guys always talk cars with me - must be thinking that I dont have a life beyond machines. Coming to the point - lot of the journalist bunch I spoke to was totally ignorant about the concept of ABS (and I don’t blame them since not many car makers take the effort of going beyond the fine print to educate people on safety kit).

Here goes - ABS, or Anti Lock Braking System prevents the wheels from locking up under heavy braking. Locked wheels result in a skidding car which cannot be steering out of trouble. ABS ensures that the brkaes are applied and relased many times in a nano-second there by preventing any lock-up. The upside is, you can steer the car. Yes, you can stand on your brake when you see that stationary lorry on your path or the cyclist who is crossing the roadand still steer away to safety. Nice? Make sure you spend that additional bit on ABS when you are buying a new car. Hyundai Santro, Accent, Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Aveo and Maruti Suzuki Swift are some of the more affordable cars that can be bought with ABS. Go ahead, spread the word!