India will have its own safety standards, rating of vehicles

The India New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) will look into the safety of new vehicles and provide a star rating on their safety and robustness in line with the Global NCAP and European NCAP car safety programmes, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told reporters on Thursday. ,

He did not give any time frame for introducing the new vehicle safety standards. Gadkari said consumer safety and public awareness about safety norms is the main focus of his ministry.

He also said that the government will make it mandatory for all new vehicles carrying eight passengers to have at least six airbags. This will include side curtain airbags in addition to the existing two front airbags. He said other features like three-point seat belts and Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS) would also be made mandatory for new passenger vehicles.

To be sure, an Indian NCAP to test the safety of new vehicles has been under discussion for the past few years, but they are yet to be formally introduced.

Gadkari said steps like production linked incentive (PLI) schemes have led to an increase in domestic production of airbags, resulting in a fall in prices. He said that for installing the first two airbags, the automakers had to spend approx. 12,000, which has now come down to approx. 3,000 for the airbag.

Gadkari said the low cost of airbags would make it possible for car manufacturers to include an additional safety feature. The minister also said that manufacturing of airbag inflators has now been included in the items eligible for PLI benefits, making this an import-dependent product locally available.

Emphasizing on the need to reduce road accidents in the country, Gadkari said that around 150,000 road accidents take place every year, causing a loss of 3.1% to the country’s GDP. He said that the government aims to halve the number of road accidents by 2025.

Gadkari also said that the government has come up with rules based on global standards to induce noise in electric vehicles and has warned road users like pedestrians and cyclists about the presence of EVs. This comes amid concerns that EVs generate less noise, which could make pedestrians and cyclists more vulnerable to accidents or collisions with such vehicles.

During a media briefing, the minister explained several measures and technological changes that the government is planning to introduce. Gadkari said that standards are being developed to make guidelines for wheelchair accommodation provision and change of controls for physically challenged people or people with walking disabilities. He said that Driver Sleep Attention Driving System would also be promoted to prevent accidents.

The minister also talked about introducing a blind-spot system to inform the driver about a possible collision with a small vehicle like a bicycle. Its purpose is to warn the driver riding in mixed traffic conditions where there is a combination of two wheelers and heavy vehicles.

In addition, the government is also considering making a lane departure warning system mandatory, which will warn the driver when a vehicle exits its lane on freeways and main roads. Gadkari said the system is designed to reduce accidents by addressing the main causes of collisions, driver error, distraction and drowsiness.

The Ministry of Transport has also proposed introducing norms for the transport of “dangerous” goods, including limiting the transportable quantity of such goods in line with European regulations.