From October 1, cars manufactured in India and imported ones, weighing up to 3.5 tonnes, will be given star ratings based on the crash tests under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) launched on Tuesday with an aim to enhance road safety.
While launching the programme in New Delhi, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said it is a landmark step towards empowering the consumers for being able to make better choices for buying safer cars.
“Bharat NCAP will greatly push the safety and quality of the vehicles in India, while simultaneously promoting a healthy competition among OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to manufacture safer vehicles,” he said, adding that it is a win-win situation for both manufacturers and consumers.
He said the programme will not just safeguard the lives of the people but make the Indian automobile industry number one in the world.
WHAT IS BHARAT NCAP?
It is the first of its kind car assessment programme in India under which cars will be given star rating based on their performance in crash tests.
Bharat NCAP will be applicable on vehicles of category M1 with gross weight less than 3.5 tonne. The M1 category includes motor vehicles used for the carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats, in addition to driver’s seat.
As per the ministry, the programme is designed to give a fair, meaningful and objective assessment of crash safety performance of cars on the basis of standard laboratory tests.
The ministry laid down the guidelines and mechanisms to inform consumers about the assessment.
Also, it is a voluntary programme, and base variants of a given model will be tested for crash ratings.
THE TESTING
The cars will be assessed under three areas — Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, and Safety Assist Technologies – in order to issue star ratings. For each of the assessment areas, there are individual tests and assessments.
According to the final draft of the Bharat-NCAP, issued in July, the programme will award separate ratings for the new vehicle for Adult Occupant Protection and Child Occupant Protection on the basis of performance in full vehicle crash tests and score achieved and fitment of safety assist technologies.
The policy specifies three crash tests that have to be performed on the new car for the assessment of star rating. These are – Offset Deformable Barrier Frontal Impact Test, Side Impact Test and Pole Side Impact Test.
Explaining the testing and rating, a ministry official said they are introducing the concept of safety rating of passenger cars with this.
“Now, the consumers will be empowered to make informed decisions. Bharat-NCAP will not just increase the domestic customer’s confidence in these vehicles but will also ensure structural and passenger safety in cars. Further, the ratings will promote export worthiness of the cars produced in the country,” the official told News18.
Speaking on safety of the common man, the official further said Bharat NCAP will encourage manufacturers to provide advanced safety technologies to earn higher ratings.
“With higher rating cars, the number of deaths in road accidents will be reduced significantly,” they added.
Last year, on June 24, while approving the policy, minister Gadkari said 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 for manufacturing safer vehicles.
At least 1.53 lakh deaths were reported due to road accidents in India in 2021, the highest since 2011, according to a report. There were 25,431 accidents and 9,191 deaths related to cars, taxis and vans, the report added.
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