Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha on 30 March 2022 that the New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program, known as Bharat NCAP, has been notified by the government in the country. According to Gadkari, automobile companies will have to manufacture four wheelers according to the standards of Bharat NCAP, so that the cases of death due to vehicle accidents can be limited. Let us tell you that Gadkari was answering the question of Congress MP KTS Tulsi in Rajya Sabha. In which he had asked whether the death in vehicle accident has increased.
These rules will be applicable in Bharat NCAP – Under the Bharat Nation Crash Assistance Program, 6 airbags have now been made mandatory in four wheelers. Along with this, 3.5 seat belts and seat belt alert system will have to be provided in the four wheeler. Along with this, adult and child safety features will have to be provided. Apart from this, the bonnet of the four wheeler will also have to be designed according to the Bharat NCAP.
1.5 lakh people die every year in vehicle accidents According to the figures given in the Rajya Sabha, 5 lakh vehicle accidents occur every year in the country. In which more than 1.5 lakh people die. For this reason, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made 6 airbags mandatory in cars. At the same time, Gadkari said that it is important to have airbags in the car in road safety. Due to which 6 airbags have been made mandatory in entry level and top level cars.
Airbags could have saved 30 percent of people’s lives According to the data tabled in the Rajya Sabha, there were 25,289 accidents in the year 2020, out of which 30 per cent of the lives could have been saved with side airbags, while 31 per cent of the lives could have been saved in the event of a front-end collision. Along with this, Gadkari said, “We want to protect people’s lives and that is why we are also going to introduce ‘rating system’ for construction companies. This will create more employment opportunities in the vehicle manufacturing sector and will also boost exports.”
Global NCAP runs abroad – Only Global NCAP test cars get entry in Europe and other Asian countries. In which cars are rated from 1 to 5 stars in adult and child safety during car crashes. Cars like Mahindra XUV 7oo, Tata Nexon and XUV 3oo have got 5 star ratings in adult and child safety.