Yesterday, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari launched India’s car safety program called Bharat NCAP where NCAP stands for New Car Assessment Program.
The program is aimed towards improving road safety in the country.
It is applicable only for those motor vehicles whose weight is up to 3.5 tonnes.
This new rating system takes effect from October 1, 2023.
By introducing this program, India became the fifth country in the world to have its own dedicated car safety program.
How does this program work?
Under this program, car manufacturers will offer their cars to the customers as per the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.
Based on the performance of the car in the AIS test, it will be awarded with star ratings.
The more rating a car type gets, the more it is safer for customers.
Which means customers tend to buy these cars more.
India is currently the third largest car market in the world.
But the Government is looking to make it a safety sensitive car market.
And these new safety norms will make India ready to compete in the global market with higher safety standards.
Why is this program Introduced?
The number of deaths due to road accidents in India is 3 to 4 times more in comparison to European Countries like France, Spain, Germany.
India is always criticised for its automotive safety standards, but still is the third largest car market.
Also, every year approximately 1.5 lakh people die in India due to road accidents.
To counter all these events it seems like the government has introduced this safety program.
The Consequences
Some experts believe this program will raise the price of cars in the country by 8-15%.
Because, the cars will now be designed in a way to comply with the program norms.
However, manufacturing cars by fulfilling the norms (designed as per global standards) will equip India to export its car globally.
That’s it for the article. If you have any opinion or suggestion, feel free to post it in the comment section down below.
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