Nagpur: In a big decision that aims to improve the safety of residents in motorized vehicles, the Ministry of Road Transportation and Highway (Morus) has made it mandatory for all four-wheeled producers in India to provide six airbags on carrying capacity for eight passengers.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted about this decision on Friday stating that he has agreed to notice the design of the Statutory Rules (GSR) to make six mandatory airbags for vehicles carrying up to eight passengers.
The ministry has made a mandatory airbag driver from July 1, 2019, and for the front co-passenger starting January 1, 2022.
The latest decision will make mandatory airbags for passenger back seats too.
Notifications will be released on Saturdays and car manufacturers will be given six months to comply with new rules, said source in the corpse.
The rules of the Central Motor Vehicle, 1989, will soon be amended.
The source in the automotive industry reacts sharply by saying that decision is not based on empirical evidence on the passenger safety of the back seat because of airbags.
“To improve the safety of residents in motorized vehicles, there will be two sides of the Torso Airbag and two sides of the airbag / tube that covers all passengers paste.
To minimize the impact of frontal and lateral collisions on its residents sitting in front and the rear compartment, it has been decided that four airbags have been decided Additional mandated in the M1 category vehicle, “Gadkari said.
According to him, this is an important step to making motorized vehicles in India safer than before.
“This will ultimately ensure the security of passengers in all segments, regardless of costs and variants,” added MP City.
The source said the development would encourage car makers to climb prices because they had to make changes to add two to four airbags for the back seat even in entry-level vehicles.
This will increase the cost of at least Rs 8,000 to RS10,000 per vehicle.
Costs may be slightly higher for vehicles with lower sales.
“Our priority is the safety of the road, even if the decision is opposed by the manufacturer.
In many countries, this feature is mandatory for all vehicles.
The ministry focuses on three road safety, techniques and spread awareness and promote safe driving.
The minister explains that no There will be a compromise so far regarding passenger safety, “said the source to TI.
The source at the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) said the lobby group had been marked by Gadkari how the steps to make the six airbags must not be based on the evidence and road death data when he first held a meeting with industrial representatives in August.
.
“There is no place in the world there are rules for airbags in the car.
We meet the regulatory collision test norm.
Second, there is no data or empirical evidence of passenger back seats or occupants in a car that faces a greater risk in crashes.
There will be additional costs for Cars because of additional features and which will affect the decision making of people who want to shift from two-wheeled vehicles to the car, “added the source.
Industrial sources also said the proposed timeline was difficult to apply.
However, government officials rejected claims quoting that all cars produced in India to export to Europe have at least six airbags.
“This is a shame problem that we must come out with regulations for safer cars.
In Europe, car makers provide more airbags to get maximum security rating and maintain their part in the market.
Second, manufacturers export cars to Europe and other countries Already have technology with them and therefore they can increase it quickly, “said an official.
According to data on a road accident published by the National Crime Records Bureau, 17,538 car residents died in the road crashes in 2020, which accounted for around 13% of the total road deaths in the country.
While pushing the ministry to improve the safety of residents in the car is seen as a progressive step what remains a concern is a bad compliance of the seat belt used by the back seat residents even though they are required to be in accordance with the law.
This is because the efficiency of the airbag is only only when passengers use a seat belt.