Centre approves Bharat NCAP for car crash testing in India
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has approved a draft to introduce the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to test the safety of vehicles sold in India. This move by the Centre will bring us one step closer to better safety norms on our shores. Crash testing provides a better insight into various aspects of a car's overall structure.
Why does this story matter?
In India, the number of fatalities on roads is significantly high, with nearly 1.5 lakh people dying every year due to road accidents. The government's motive behind implementing stricter norms is to increase the awareness of safety among the general public. With the approval of crash testing on our shores, the vehicles will reflect safety scores appropriate for our road conditions.
Take a look at the announcement
What is Bharat NCAP?
Bharat NCAP is a vehicle safety testing agency with a set of protocols based on multiple standardized tests much like the Global NCAP. The cars will be awarded a safety score using a star-rating system based on the active and passive safety kit provided by the automaker. The performance of the four-wheeler during various tests will also be taken into consideration.
'Bharat NCAP will increase export-worthiness of India-made cars'
"Bharat NCAP will serve as a consumer-centric platform allowing customers to opt for safer cars based upon their star ratings while promoting a healthy competition among OEMs in India to manufacture safer vehicles," tweeted Gadkari. He further added that crash testing is crucial to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars and to increase the export-worthiness of India-made automobiles.
Maruti Suzuki opposes mandatory crash tests
Maruti Suzuki has put up strong opposition to making crash tests mandatory for every new vehicle under Bharat NCAP. The chairperson of Maruti Suzuki, RC Bhargava said that the new benchmarking system will only benefit "rich people." He added, "we must look at what can be done to provide better transport for two-wheeler users." Notably, Maruti Suzuki is the largest automaker in the country.
