Road safety is one of the most pressing concerns in India as we report around 1.5 lakh deaths in road accidents every year. The Indian government, over the last few years, has taken a raft of initiatives in an effort to improve the condition of road safety in the country and bolster passenger safety. These include making safety provisions like dual front airbags, reverse parking, amended Motor Vehicles Act, etc. But perceiving the gravity of the situation, the Indian government plans to introduce several safety measures that will further seek to strengthen road safety in India. Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, recently organized a press conference to brief about the steps MoRTH plans to undertake to reduce the number of deaths caused by road accidents to half by 2025. Let’s take a look at the top five announcements from Nitin Gadkari’s press conference on Automobile Safety Ecosystem in India.
- Six airbags mandatory: Nitin Gadkari mentioned that MoRTH wants to make six airbags mandatory on all passenger vehicles with a capacity of up to 8 passengers in India. The Minister noted that he has even approved a draft gazette notification for the same. Once implemented, it will make India one of the few countries in the world to mandate six airbags. Taking note of how offering four additional airbags (two are already compulsory) can increase the cost of cars, considering that airbags are imported in India, Gadkari said that the government wants to encourage local manufacturing of airbags. He added that airbags have been included in the PLI (production linked incentive) scheme for the automobile industry to promote domestic manufacturing of airbags.
- Bharat NCAP: The Indian government has been working on developing Bharat NCAP, an indigenous vehicle crash test programme, that will be on par with international standards. The crash test ratings by Bharat NCAP will encourage carmakers to make safer cars for the Indian market, thereby contributing towards a drop in casualties in road accidents. The safety ratings will also help Indian consumers make an informed choice while buying a new car.
- Electronic stability control: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is planning to make electronic stability control (ESC) compulsory in India to bolster passenger safety. In case you didn’t know, ESC is an active safety feature that controls vehicle dynamics by braking individual wheels and reducing engine torque. It works in tandem with ABS and traction control system to maintain stability and prevents tyres from skidding. ESC is a standard feature in European markets since 2014 but most cars in India, especially in the budget-friendly range, do not get this provision. Even Global NCAP is likely to include ESC as one of the crash-test parameters later this year.
- Three-point seatbelts: Nitin Gadkari noted that three-point seatbelts in cars will be made mandatory in India for all passengers, including the middle passenger on the rear bench. Currently, most cars offer seatbelts that are strapped across the lap for the middle passenger while a three-point seatbelt is Y-shaped and available for other passengers (mandatory for front passengers). A three-point seatbelt offers more protection in case of an impact.
- ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems): Nitin Gadkari also mentioned that the MoRTH is currently working on making ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) mandatory for cars in its effort to reduce the number of accidents in the country. The Minister especially stressed upon driver assistance systems like AEBS (advanced emergency braking system), driver drowsiness attention system, blind-spot information system, lane-departure warning system, forward collision warning, etc. All these electronic aids are aimed at reducing accidents and keeping passengers safe. Currently, only a handful of mass-oriented cars come equipped with ADAS in India. The Ministry is currently working with stakeholders to assess the viability of making ADAS compulsory in India and how it will impact vehicle costs.
