[lordrayden]

Assuming this goes through without last minute deferrals, manufacturers will drive the fear of price hike into all of us and tell us "buy before the price hike, else repent". And, September 2022 will have the highest car bookings in recent memory

[samuelv]

Its nice to see emphasis on six airbags...when i was shopping for my car in 2019, i could hardly find premium hatchbacks with Six Airbags. Only i20 had it and i settled for it. Other than this Ecosport and Freestyle had it, but sighting six airbags, they omitted the side grab handles. Now, people will have a plethora of options. Just bringing in safety features will just help vendors make business and make cars costly. The base to safety is education about rules. Has the government thought of penalizing those truck drivers who move slowly in the Fast lane, these are things that need to be addressed first.

[The Rationalist]

The arguments like make roads safer, make people obey rules are all valid. But that doesn’t mean we have to wait for that to be done before taking others steps. The cost of adding 4 airbags will be ₹50,000 at the most, ₹1000 on EMI terms, which won’t hurt most to be honest. Our roads are becoming better over the years, Mr. Nitin Gadkari is doing a good job. We can’t become like Europe overnight, for that our education system needs a revamp. Unless that happens the law abiding dreams will remain dreams. If this saves at least few hundred lives a year, I’m all for it.

[thiagust]

Originally Posted by samuelv

. Has the government thought of penalizing those truck drivers who move slowly in the Fast lane, these are things that need to be addressed first.

Very valid point. 90% of the time wasted on highways is mainly because of slow moving vehicles in the fast lane.

[headbanger]

There are too many gaps related to road safety today. And there is no magic wand that can fix all of the gaps in one go. This is a step in the right direction in my view even though the priority and sequence of successive steps to plug all gaps may not be the best.

And these steps also send a broader sense that safety will be getting more importance in policy framework going forward. Sometimes just the sense of certain things are sufficient to prod the manufacturers in a certain direction.

[krishnakumar]

Are there rules that stipulate how stiff a chassis should be or other such regulations around stronger mechanicals or an active safety systems?

If yes, then shouldn't the priority be to enforce them rather than introducing a fail-safe safety system. If not, they should probably focus on that IMO.

From a message perspective this is great. It's more palatable and brings around the topic of safety among the masses which is essential. However, if they want to be effective they have to either incentivize buyers or control the price (which the manufacturers definite will).

Would that be at the cost of let's say ESP and EBD? I'd say the ESP or EBD is probably going to improve the safety a lot more than what the 6 airbags would've.

Including the 6 airbags as an option right from the base variant would've still given a win-win for both buyers and customers and still bring around the topic of safety. Currently, I'm not sure if cars provide this as an option at all except that it's available in some top variants.

Hope the government thinks around these aspects as well. I feel they are disconnected from the ground reality. Anyway, happy to see the conversations around this!

[ramji_or]

This is a decision for the better. The safety standards of the cars in Indian market has come a long way in the last decade.

There will be lobbying/resistance from manufacturers and the deadline might get extended but eventually it will get implemented by 2023 at the very least.

[landcruiser123]

Good move, will save a few lives for sure. Won't have a drastic impact on road safety as a large portion of India are on:
1. Two-wheelers
2. Auto rickshaws
3. Bicycles
4. Foot (walking)
5. Horse/bullock carts

Besides standardizing driver training and licensing, a serious government would give tax breaks and/or lower insurance premiums for safer cars.

[sierrabravo98]

It seems that this government is intent on shooting itself in the foot at-least once every month. This is a really vacuous decision taken without any meaningful consultative process whatsoever and could not come at a worse time for the economy considering that the already weak demand is showing signs of further weakening.

As per media reports, a minimum of Rs 50,000 price increase is to be expected across model lines. This coupled with already increasing vehicle costs due to increased input costs and a punitive taxation structure which classifies vehicles as "sin goods" will deal a death blow to the automotive industry which is a major source of all-tiers (from blue collar to white collar) of jobs. Most individuals purchasing their first vehicles for 5/6 lakh will find an increase of 50,000 (which is a 10% hike) too exorbitant.

The need of the hour is reduced taxation on vehicles. Instead of positive measures like tax breaks for manufacturers providing additional safety equipment, this government is hell-bent on passing all costs in a single go to the hapless over-taxed, over-worked middle class individual who does not have any voice whatsoever in the greater scheme of things. Mr. Gadkari is good at building infrastructure, he should stick to that. Hare-brained schemes like this 6 airbags rule and the Ethanol blending rule only serve to harm the national economy

[McLaren Rulez]

Great news! I'm tired of how base variants in our market almost never get six airbags. This opens up a lot of options for my next upgrade!

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

Are there rules that stipulate how stiff a chassis should be or other such regulations around stronger mechanicals or an active safety systems?

If yes, then shouldn't the priority be to enforce them rather than introducing a fail-safe safety system. If not, they should probably focus on that IMO.
...

Well said, there is no point putting 6 airbags when the structure itself is unsafe. On the other hand, with a good structure, vehicles can pass NCAP side and pole impact tests even without side airbags. With ABS & front airbags already legislated, we need to ensure the basics first (structural strength) along with active safety technology like ESP and then go on to add more airbags, ADAS, etc.

Safety legislation is good but it needs to be logical. India badly needs an NCAP - there are 200 million 2 wheelers on our roads (2W's account for ~40% of road fatalities) and if we want even some of them to upgrade to a car sometime in the future we are making it very hard. With an India NCAP program, the buyer is well aware he/she is buying a 1 or 2 star vehicle but it is still a safer travel option than the bike they are all travelling on now. For people who want the full safety kit, there will be the higher variants offering these which an NCAP will also ensure for even a 3* rating and above (mandatory optional safety features, minimum fitment rates, etc.)

Anyway, I have seen the GSR document for this rule and it is still in draft stage and it is impossible to re-engineer existing vehicles and upgrade capacity in such a short time. It will take atleast a year or so. I also hear we will have a Bharat NCAP sooner rather than later which makes much more sense.

[MithunSathianat]

This is a very good move with regards to safety.
It would be very interesting to see how the new Thar can accommodate 6 airbags, especially the convertible (CT) variant.
High probability that CT variant may be discontinued.

[susheel_kainat]

This is a welcome decision from the Govt, but as all timelines this too will be pushed further down by the Automobile sector lobby.

Its high time Automobile companies focus on start giving security as must have feature and consider giving all gizmos as high end feature (good to have if interested), something like u get the best secure car for X price and then for those interested in Gizmos can spent extra to get the same. Instead of removing the features to contain the prize, they should give the option of adding them (ofcourse if customer is ready to pay extra for the same).

[darkfantasy]

Originally Posted by volkman10

SIX airbags mandatory in cars from October 1



Link:

Why are they forcing all these safety norms only on cars?
What protection does an auto-rickshaw offer in case of a collision? - Our highways are filled with it.
What protection do those tata magic share autos offer?
We are still sharing road space with bikers who fold down their wing mirrors and zig-zag through traffic at speed.
Innovas and Fortuners of politicians still zoom around with their bull bars , dark window tints and Led light bars that probably have as much power as a lighthouse.
And the government buses - they don't even have seat belts and in case of an incident, they show no responsibility at all. Why not frame a policy to rein in them?
Overloaded trucks spraying junk when going over each road imperfection and Tata Aces with metal bars trailing by a few meters behind their overhang is still very common.
Stray animals still roam in access-controlled highways and tractors with not even reflectors still ply in the fast lane at 20 kmph.
Well, but they have to target the Cars again.

What protection does the side airbag or a curtain airbag offer when the structure itself is highly unstable? What evidence do we have that cars like Alto or S Presso can benefit from using these extra airbags? What if the rear occupants aren't belted?. As much as 95% of the rear occupants are not belted even on highways.

An increase of 50k for entry-level hatchbacks would mean as much as 70K increase in the on-road price for questionable benefits. Of course, the government gets increased tax revenue and can pat their own backs that they have done much for road safety without having to strain a muscle.

I see all these as a targeted attempt to show the aspiring middle classes (or whatever is left of it) their place in the hierarchy. And No, someone who has enough to buy a Fortuner (although with a bit of guilt!) is not middle class by any stretch of the imagination. How dare they aspire to share the road space with the mighty Jaguars and Land rovers? How dare they think they can protect their family from the wind, sun, and the occasional spittle flying through our roads? Let's make sure they go back to their two-wheelers by killing the entry-level segment itself. If we did it in the name of safety no one will bat an eye.

Please don't bring in the why don't you buy a pre-owned car argument here.
It is a well-known fact that if you can't afford the car new, you cannot afford its maintenance either.

So, NO - this does not make any sense for the entry-level segment at least.

[kadanaJ]

I'm going to go against the tide here and say I'm not in support of this move.

6-airbags being mandatory in entry-level cars is going to make them unaffordable for many 2-wheeler riders.

We live in India, a country where the majority of vehicles are 2-wheelers. Many Indian families use their 2-wheelers like family minivans. At that point, even a humble Alto with 0 airbags is a huge step up in safety.

Would much prefer the introduction of a star/score based safety rating system, which would allow the customer to decide how much of a premium they are willing to pay for safety.