Govt Bats For Better Car Safety: Advanced Assistance Mandatory By 2022?

SIAM’s (Society Of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) annual convention held in Delhi recently saw Nitin Gadkari, the minister of road transport, highways and shipping, make an eyebrow-raising statement. The minister announced that the government is mulling over making advanced driver assistance systems mandatory in cars by as early as 2022.

As the name suggests, the technology is aimed at ‘assisting’ the driver on the move. This includes a whole gamut of features right from lane keeping assist, pedestrian detection, collision mitigation system as well as adaptive cruise control. The specifics aren’t clear as to which features the government deems essential for Indian motorists.

For now, a lot of high-end luxury cars come equipped with these features. These technologies aren’t particularly cost-efficient, as it involves a host of electronics, radars, sensors and even reliance on GPS navigation systems in some cases. If these features are made mandatory, expect prices of vehicles to rise significantly.

Come July 2019, prices of entry-level vehicles are set to rise as is. This is because safety features such as rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminders and speed warning are set to become mandatory for every vehicle sold in the country. By April 2020, we expect another round of price hike as the industry transitions from BSIV to BSVI. This will particularly affect prices of diesel vehicles in the country.

ZigSays

We think this is a fantastic move. At the moment, there’s no incentive or mandate for automakers to make safer cars. Also, buyers are choosing to skip safety features if given the chance. Making these safety features mandatory will help tackle both these issues in one go.

On similar lines, we’d like to see the government also make side and curtain airbags mandatory for all vehicles, while eventually making Indian crash test norms on par with Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Program).