Come 2019, cars must have airbags, parking & speed-alert sensors
From 2019 onwards, all cars will have features like "airbags, seat-belt reminders, alert systems for speed beyond 80 kph, reverse parking sensors and manual override over the central locking system for emergencies". This move by Union Road Transport Ministry hopes to ensure that people don't lose lives because their cars don't have adequate safety features that generally come with luxury vehicles.
How India compromises on safety in cars?
India's has world's 6th largest car market, yet the sole country amongst top 10 global car markets that does not have a testing program that measures the safety of cars. Some cars manufactured in India for European countries are made better than the same variants for India. Indian variants' weights are reduced by using lighter aluminum sheets and poor quality components to increase mileage.
70% Indians don't care about safety in cars: Ford survey
A recent survey by Ford India revealed that for Indians safety does take a back seat when buying new cars. The company conducted a Twitter poll that revealed that "70% of the 22,000 respondents" did not even analyze safety features before purchasing a car. When you take into account that most car buyers aren't on Twitter, the scale of the issue seems even graver.
A look at India's alarming road accident data
Further, a Report on Road Accidents in India 2016, revealed that the country saw 4,80,652 accidents in 2016 which led to 1,50,785 deaths. The statistics are alarming as they seem to suggest that at least "413 people died everyday in 1,317 accidents" which roughly translates into 17 deaths in an hour, everyday. Chennai and Delhi witnessed maximum accidents followed by Bengaluru, Indore and Kolkatta.
India accounts for 10% of global road mishaps
Currently,10 percent of global road accidents are accounted from India with higher than "1.46 lakh fatalities annually, highest in the world." Compared to 2015, India witnessed lesser accidents but a higher number of deaths in 2016.
Is government doing anything about making cars safe?
In June'17, it was announced that the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) will be launched in October'17. This programme will ensure all cars come with safety features like airbags, ABS and seatbelt reminders. New cars will have to undergo mandatory crash-testing and given star ratings depending on these tests. Cars will be put through front, side and rear impact tests under BNVSAP.
