We live in a country where over a hundred and fifty thousand lives are lost each year in road related accidents. In spite of this alarming number, the general car buying population, including the educated kinds are rarely aware or choose to be obtuse about the importance of safety features while buying their cars. They say Indians make for the best accountants there are in the world and that trait takes over when deciding upon buying a car, as we generally tend to buy the one which is cheaper, comfortably ignoring to be safer.
However, all that is set to change now as Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that all cars, including the cheapest models, will have to be fitted with minimum safety features. The announcement was made as the apex advisory committee to the road transport ministry, CMVR-TCS, is about to do a study and prescribe which minimum tests and safety features every new car in India should have in the next few years. This committee will include representatives from organizations which includes the heavy industries ministry, BIS and testing agencies such as ARAI, who will take the final call on new standards for the automotive sector.
Once decided, the new minimum standard would be notified under Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme (BNVSAP). While initially, car manufacturers will enjoy the liberty to adopt these norms voluntarily, they will have to strictly adhere to the norms starting October 2017, for all new models. For existing models which will continue to be manufactured and sold by that time, the new norms will be applicable from October 2018. An administrative body will also be set up to implement BNVSAP norms.
Speaking to TOI, a top ministry official said there is no question of going back on setting minimum safety norms that every new vehicle has to meet for “occupant safety”. He said, “We will set the minimum standard such as frontal and rear crash test at 56 kmph. Moreover, there will be star rating based on the cars having better safety features. The manufacturers can apply for getting such star rating for safer vehicles.”
On the flip side, manufacturers have claimed that installation of features such as airbags, (ABS), electronic brake distribution, electronic stability control, seat belt reminder and child lock functionality check would push the car price by 30%.
Agree, but simple when enforced on manufacturers instead of leaving it to people.
Implementation is huge task