Crash tests, airbags, ABS will soon be a must for Indian cars

Earlier this year, we had reported that the Government of India is looking to make crash tests of all new cars mandatory. Now along with these crash tests, the Government is also planning to make the inclusion of safety features such as airbags and anti-lock braking systems (ABS) compulsory in cars. The Government has started consultations with the auto industry to take steps in this direction. The provision of child restraint systems and electronic stability control (ESC) are being discussed as well.

These developments come as a welcome step as the crash tests conducted on some popular Indian cars conducted by Global NCAP showed how unsafe the vehicles were in the event of an accident. Only the airbag-equipped Volkswagen Polo hatchback managed to score a respectable four star rating. Additionally, the tests revealed that some of the cars had such weak structures that they would not have fared any better even if they were equipped with airbags.

Till now carmakers have been avoiding including these features in their products since they would raise costs significantly - about 25%. However, the Government appears determined to ensure that the vehicles on our roads meet minimum safety standards and a deadline of 2017 is being discussed.

The Government is working on introducing a New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) in the next few months. All cars will be put through a frontal crash test at 56 kph. Once all the mandatory safety features are in place, a star rating will be worked out. This star rating is likely to be set considering domestic conditions and will focus on structural safety of vehicles.

Source: Times of India