Safety Ratings Could Soon Become Mandatory For All New Cars

However, few automobile companies still lack the motivation to produce safe cars. As a result, the government is planning to make safety ratings mandatory for all new cars. With this new rule in place, car manufacturers must undergo crash testing before launching the product in India.

This is a welcome move by the Government Of India considering more than half a million accidents occur annually, out of which more than 1.5 lakh accidents turn out to be fatal.

This latest move by the government could be part of the country's upcoming Bharat NCAP crash test program.

Regarding Bharat NCAP, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently approved the draft notification for Bharat-NCAP crash testing. This will allow OEMs to test their vehicles in the country's own in-house test facilities.

In India, crash testing is voluntary and Tata Nexon is the first Indian vehicle to score a perfect 5-Star rating at the Global-NCAP. However, times have changed for the better and there are five Indian vehicles that have scored a perfect 5-Star rating at the Global-NCAP - Tata Punch, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Altroz, Tata Nexon, and Mahindra XUV700.

With the introduction of Bharat NCAP in India, our country will have its own in-house state-of-the-art crash testing facility. Though it may feel like a redundant crash testing programme with other testing facilities such as the US NCAP, Euro NCAP, Japan NCAP, ASEAN NCAP, China NCAP, Korean NCAP, Latin NCAP and Global NCAP, the new Bharat NCAP will also factor in Indian regulations for better overall safety.

Speaking of which, the main focus of the Bharat NCAP will include structural integrity as a stable shell would greatly absorb the energy due to the impact. Moreover, the pattern of the impact absorption is expected to be as per new protocols.

This will not only push Indian car manufacturers to push the envelope of safety standards in the country, but it will also improve consumer awareness regarding the importance of safety standards in cars.

Coming to New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), the program aims to improve the safety of automobiles. In addition to that, it was the USA that laid the foundation stone for what NCAP is today with an objective to let its consumers know about the crashworthiness of a new car.

Looking into the records from 2020, India recorded a total of more than 3.54 lakh road accidents and more than 1.33 lakh people have died from these accidents. Also, more than 3.35 lakh people were injured in the recorded accidents. The government tries to reduce these numbers by introducing the Bharat NCAP.

Thoughts About Mandatory Crash Testing

In addition to becoming 'Aatmanirbharbharat' in crash testing, making all new cars undergo mandatory crash testing will push car makers to produce safer cars. Moreover, this move will, directly and indirectly, benefit many people.