New Safety Standards Announced for E-Rickshaws: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced that the Government of India plans to launch a safety assessment rating system for trucks and other commercial vehicles, modeled on the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP), which was introduced in August 2023.

This announcement was made during the inauguration of a two-day workshop on vehicle and fleet safety, jointly organized by the Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) in Faridabad.

Gadkari emphasized, “The goal is to improve manufacturing quality and make vehicles safer. Enhancing the safety of battery-operated vehicles like e-rickshaws is especially important, which will also lead to better quality and more employment opportunities.”

According to government data, India records nearly 480,000 road crashes every year, resulting in approximately 180,000 deaths. Addressing this alarming issue, Gadkari stated that road safety, expansion of safe highways, vehicle safety, and the promotion of electric vehicles are among the government’s top priorities.

The government is also working on legislation to regulate truck drivers’ working hours. Currently, drivers operate for an average of 13-14 hours a day. To tackle this, 32 state-of-the-art driving training institutes will be established across the country. Furthermore, air conditioning in driver cabins and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) have been mandated.

In a move to instill road safety awareness from an early age, the government has introduced road safety into the curriculum for students from Classes 1 to 12, effective from the current academic session. Additionally, a road safety anthem sung by Shankar Mahadevan will be translated into 22 Indian languages to reach a wider audience.

The workshop aims to review the progress made globally and in India in vehicle safety since 2000, and to identify priority actions for achieving road safety goals by 2030. Dr. Rohit Baluja, President of IRTE, mentioned that the meeting will also evaluate the efforts of G20 nations in implementing global vehicle safety recommendations, with special sessions on fleet and motorcycle safety.

David Ward, President Emeritus of GNCAP, commented, “Indian consumers now have better choices with most vehicles being assessed under GNCAP and Bharat NCAP. This marks a significant step toward achieving the UN's road safety targets by 2030.”

The extension of safety ratings to commercial vehicles is expected to take India's automobile safety standards to new heights.