India may soon require automobiles to have safety ratings

6 Jul 2022 , 09:59 AM

As the government considers making star ratings obligatory for vehicles based on their performance in crash testing and other metrics, cars in India are set to receive safety ratings shortly.

According to news reports, this provision is likely to be incorporated into regulations under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP). The government now believes that it is vital to ensure that automobiles in India are on par in terms of safety with those in industrialized countries, contrary to the original plan, which did not call for making it mandatory. Although automakers are required to adhere to all regional safety requirements, a lower rating would not result in any sanctions against the manufacturer.

Despite having only 1% of the world’s vehicles, India ranks third in injuries and first in fatalities when it comes to traffic accidents. Every year, the nation experiences up to 500,000 traffic accidents, which result in 150,000 fatalities. The age range of people killed in traffic accidents is from 18 to 45 years.

To reduce human error on the roads, the government is considering a number of initiatives, including encouraging the production of stronger automobiles, implementing cutting-edge traffic monitoring systems, and using artificial intelligence-based technologies.

According to the report, India is 5-7 years behind other significant vehicle markets in the implementation of crash test rules.
The government believes that modern vehicles need to meet international standards since they have become aspirational, despite some manufacturers’ reservations about the economic consequences of tighter restrictions.

Nitin Gadkari, the minister of roads and highways, gave his approval to the draught notification to launch Bharat NCAP last month. The minister had stated that star ratings of Indian automobiles will be essential to guaranteeing both the structural and passenger safety of automobiles as well as to improve the export-worthiness of automobiles made in India.