India: One Death On Our Roads Every Five Minutes

Earlier in the year a few Indian road vehicles were take in for testing at the EURO NCAP crash facility. In the test it was clear that most made-for-India vehicles did not qualify for the tests and failed miserably. Now, with rise in awareness for safety the government plans to make it compulsory that manufacturers perform a crash test.

Currently in India road accidents are on an all time high. A latest study reveals that in India almost one person dies in an accident every five minutes. To control accident-related deaths, automobile manufactures will have to offer vehicles with ABS and airbags as standard. They will also have to reveal crash test figures to prove how safe their vehicles are.

Globally manufacturers offer ABS and airbags in vehicles as a standard feature. However, in India to keep cost of vehicle competitive and maximise profits they omit certain safety features. Manufacturers that assemble vehicles in India and export them to other countries often pass the crash test with flying colours.

Also Read: Video Of Indian Valet Parkers Crashing Lamborghini Gallardo!

Currently plans are being made to make even ESC (Electronic Stability Control) compulsory with ABS and airbags. This will help drivers prevent an accident and could decrease mortality significantly. These features would be offered as standard, however, it will be interesting to see if carmakers hike prices or not.

The crash test involves a collision of the vehicle with a stationary object at speeds of 56 kph. Most manufacturers claim they have crash tested their Indian vehicles, however, there is no facility in India for the same. The new safety norms are expected to increase prices of vehicles to considerable extent.

The newly formed government is being strict on safety issues and is planning to set a deadline for safety norms. They are discussing with automobile manufacturers when the safety norms can be introduced and several other options. They plan to have all new vehicles come with the safety features by 2017, which means no new vehicle will come without ABS, airbags and even ESC.

DON'T MISS: VIDEO OF THE DAY