NEW DELHI: India will soon have its own “Star Rating” regime for cars on the safety parameters which will help people to take an informed decision while buying, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. The Indian version of star rating will not only take into account safety of the occupants, but also pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
Gadkari also announced a 12-point initiative and mandatory provisions in the motor vehicle rules including Electronic Stability Control ,ESC), Advanced Emergency Braking and Driver Drowsiness Alert systems, which will be introduced to make vehicles safer for occupants and also for other road users. He added that the road transport ministry will make it mandatory for all cars to have six airbags and the car makers will have to provide three-point seat belts for all front-facing passengers in a car.
October this year has been proposed as the timeline for implementation of the two provisions. However, industry sources said it would take more time for compliance.
Currently, Global New Car Assessment Program (G-NCAP) gives star ratings to Indian cars after carrying out crash tests and this has become popular in the past 6-7 years. India will have an improved version of the safety assessment program than the G-NCAP and the government plans to publish the test results of all models of vehicles to create awareness among buyers.
“Nothing works better than competition. The carmakers will go for this if they want to remain in competition in the market. The aim of all these is to save lives. We lose 1.5 lakh lives every year,” Gadkari said.
TOI has learn that the safety assessment of cars will be done taking into account different aspects including the structure of the vehicles, safety of adult and child occupants, seat belt reminders, ESC, inbuilt safety assistance technology and also hill assist technology.
Sources said the detailed protocols would be finalized in the next few months so that the necessary framework to implement this can start quickly. Taking a cue from the global practices, the star rating is likely to be voluntary for car makers.
Gadkari also announced a 12-point initiative and mandatory provisions in the motor vehicle rules including Electronic Stability Control ,ESC), Advanced Emergency Braking and Driver Drowsiness Alert systems, which will be introduced to make vehicles safer for occupants and also for other road users. He added that the road transport ministry will make it mandatory for all cars to have six airbags and the car makers will have to provide three-point seat belts for all front-facing passengers in a car.
October this year has been proposed as the timeline for implementation of the two provisions. However, industry sources said it would take more time for compliance.
Currently, Global New Car Assessment Program (G-NCAP) gives star ratings to Indian cars after carrying out crash tests and this has become popular in the past 6-7 years. India will have an improved version of the safety assessment program than the G-NCAP and the government plans to publish the test results of all models of vehicles to create awareness among buyers.
“Nothing works better than competition. The carmakers will go for this if they want to remain in competition in the market. The aim of all these is to save lives. We lose 1.5 lakh lives every year,” Gadkari said.
TOI has learn that the safety assessment of cars will be done taking into account different aspects including the structure of the vehicles, safety of adult and child occupants, seat belt reminders, ESC, inbuilt safety assistance technology and also hill assist technology.
Sources said the detailed protocols would be finalized in the next few months so that the necessary framework to implement this can start quickly. Taking a cue from the global practices, the star rating is likely to be voluntary for car makers.
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