good motoring
Get familiar with technology
H. Kishie Singh

Some of the new cars in the market are marvels of technology. It is no longer a simple matter to get into the car, twist the key, start the engine, put it into gear and drive off. Keyless entry is one of the newest innovations. It is sheer electronic wizardry. The little black instrument that is the key, should be on your person. As you approach the car, at about one-metre distance, the doors unlock. It works the other way around as well. As you get out of the car and walk away, the doors lock.

Cars that have remote locking`A0work on different systems. Please note, the system works differently for different models. If you unlock the car from a distance and don’t open the doors, they will lock again in 30 seconds. You will have to press the remote opening button again. They lock automatically. It is this automatically bit you have to worry about.

You may have noticed that when you take your car to the dealer for servicing, he has a very set procedure. He takes your keys, unlocks the car, puts the key in the ignition, lowers the driver side window, if it is a power window. He makes sure he does not lock the keys in the car. In case the doors lock, the window is open to reach into the car.

Some cars have yet another feature. You get into the car, start and drive off. About 30 seconds later, or when you hit 20 kmph, all the doors lock automatically. As mentioned earlier, it is this about things happening automatically that is the problem. One, we are not used to things happening automatically; and two, we have not familiarised ourselves with the functioning of our cars, which are full of electronic gadgets.

This was obvious in the case of the Zonal Manager of the Indian Bank in Mumbai. The driver had gone to the airport to collect the burra sahib. The baggage was being loaded into the boot. The engine was running. The AC was on. The windows were rolled up. The car "sensed" that it was ready to move off; the sensors locked the doors automatically! Drat! Here is that word again! The car was smarter than the man. The driver and the sahib were locked out.

It happened because the basic procedure had not been followed properly. One, you should not keep the engine idling for more than a minute or two. This is the law in most developed countries. Putting the sahib’s comfort ahead of economy and environment almost cost the Zonal Manager his job. Two, the driver’s windows should have been down. This is the proper procedure. Three, always have the ignition key on your person.

Here is the reason. Col P was coming home after a wedding and lunch reception on a Sunday. On the way back his wife said she would like to stop and pick up the usual bread, butter and eggs. The Colonel pulled up in front of their daily needs store and offered to collect the goodies. He left the engine running and the AC on. Like lightning striking, two baddies got into the car. One got into the driver’s seat and the second in the rear seat behind the wife, who was wearing her best sari, not to mention diamonds and gold ornaments.

The man in the rear had already put a knife to her throat. They hijacked the car and sped off towards the Industrial Area. Fortunately for Mrs P, there was a speed check and a police naka on Poorv Marg. The two baddies screeched to a halt and bolted. A very happy ending to this story. The moral. Never leave the keys in the ignition. If you have to leave a lady alone in the car, lock the doors and leave the windows 5-8 cm rolled down. A hand cannot enter through this narrow opening. In any case, if the AC has been on for some time, the car interior stays cool for a while, unless the car is parked in direct sunlight. No sensible person will do this. Think safety at all times; we live in the age of kalyug.

Happy motoring.