India Becomes Fifth Country To Adopt NCAP, Programme To Start in Oct

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), making India fifth country after US, Europe, China and Japan to adopt such measure to curb the loss due to road accidents. According to the statement, the government has elevated vehicle safety standards for up to 3.5 tonne vehicles to enhance road safety.  

Addressing the gathering, Gadkari added that this was a landmark step towards empowering our consumers for being able to make a better choice for buying safer cars. “BHARAT NCAP will also greatly push the safety and quality of the vehicles in India, while simultaneously promoting a healthy competition among OEMs to manufacture safer vehicles,” the minister said.  

According to the minister, the new safety regime under BHARAT NCAP and AIS-197 is a mutual win-win for manufacturers and consumers and an instrumental step towards safeguarding lives of our citizens and making our automobile industry the number one auto manufacturing hub in the world.

Road safety continues to be a major developmental issue, a public health concern and a leading cause of death and injury across the world. At least one out of 10 people killed on roads across the world is from India, according to the World Health Organization.

As per the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, during the year 2021, a total number of 4,12,432 road accidents have been reported in the country, claiming 1,53,972 lives and causing injuries to 3,84,448 persons. Unfortunately, the worst affected age group in road accidents is 18-45 years, which accounts for about 67 per cent of total accidental deaths.

Awareness

The Programme is applicable to type approved motor vehicles of M1 category less than 3.5T GVW. This is a voluntary program in which the base variants of a given model shall be tested.

This programme will commence from Oct 1, 2023 and will be based on Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197. This aims to create ecosystem of competitive safety enhancements leading to increased awareness among consumers. Consumers can take an informed decision by making a comparative assessment on vehicle performance under crash test conditions.

Opportunity & Support

NCAP brings the opportunity to the OEMs to manufacture vehicles of global safety standards. Programme will be anchored by Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) .This programme has been evolved based on stakeholder consultations.

Meanwhile, Renault India lauded the initiative saying that this significant stride aligned seamlessly with our core mission of the ‘Human First Programme’. Venkatram Mamilapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India said that it propelled the company further on its journey to prioritise the safety and well-being of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

“I applaud the government of India for this visionary and historic initiative; Bharat NCAP is a truly landmark event in the automotive industry,” he added.

He said that this initiative arrives at a crucial juncture for India, as the need to curtail fatalities on our roads has never been more pressing. “With road safety taking precedence, the Bharat NCAP is a pivotal tool to assess and enhance the safety standards of vehicles on our roads,” Mamilapalle added.

He also said that government’s timely and historical introduction of the Bharat NCAP showcases its dedication to safeguard its citizens and advancing road safety. Renault India wholeheartedly supports this initiative and looks forward to contributing our expertise towards reducing accidents and ensuring safer journeys for all.

Euro NCAP

Euro New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) organises crash & safety tests on new vehicles and provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.  Established in 1997 and backed by several European Governments, motoring, consumer and insurance organizations, Euro NCAP has rapidly become a catalyst for encouraging significant safety improvements to new car design.

Euro NCAP ratings strictly apply to vehicles of the specifications offered in Europe. The ratings do not necessarily apply to models offered in other regions, even when sold under an identical name, as production specification and equipment may vary.

According to the new Truck Safe rating scheme, it enables all stakeholders in the freight industry to identify and assess the safety level of equipment in their heavy truck fleets. Not only this delivers enhanced safety for drivers, but it creates a market for safe technology that allows manufacturers to innovate and advance their offering within a clear framework for safety grounded in Euro NCAP principles.

Cities and public authorities are able to clearly identify the best vehicles for their roads and incentivise adoption and companies are able to easily determine the vehicle specifications they need to comply with in road authority schemes.

US NCAP

Recently US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a proposed rule which requires automobile manufacturers to equip vehicles with seat belt use warning systems for the right front passenger and rear seats to increase seat belt use. The new requirements would apply to passenger cars, trucks, most buses, and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4535.924 Kg or less. 

According to NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson, in 2021, almost 43,000 people lost their lives on America’s roads, and half of those in vehicles were unbelted. This proposed rule can help reduce that number by getting more to buckle up.

Seat belt warning systems use visual and audible alerts to encourage seat belt use. The proposed rule would amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 “Occupant Crash Protection,” which currently requires a seat belt warning for the driver’s seat but does not require a warning for other seating positions. The proposed rule would also update current driver seat belt warning system requirements.

NHTSA’s proposed rule would implement the following requirements for rear seats:

• A visual warning on vehicle start up lasting at least 60 seconds to notify the driver of the status of the rear seat belts.   
• An audio-visual change-of-status warning lasting at least 30 seconds if a rear seat belt is unbuckled while the vehicle is in operation. 
• An audio-visual seat belt use warning for the right front passenger’s seat.
• An audio-visual seat belt use warning for the driver and right front passenger seat that remains active until both the driver and right front passenger seat occupants are belted.
• An audio-visual change-of-status warning for both the driver and right front passenger seats that remains active until the unfastened seat belt is refastened. 

NHTSA estimates that the proposed requirements would prevent approximately 300 non-fatal injuries and over 100 fatalities annually. While seat belt use is much higher than it was a decade ago, there is room for improvement. Usage rates for rear seat passengers have consistently been below those for the front seats.

For rear seat occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatality by 55 per cent for passenger cars and 74 per cent for light trucks and vans. For front seat occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatality by 44 per cent for passenger cars and 63 per cent to 73 per cent for light trucks and vans.