New norms being introduced to ensure safety of vehicle users Gadkari
New Delhi Mar 30 PTI As many as 13022 lives could have been saved in the country in 2020 if there were functional airbags in cars Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday while asserting that new norms are being introduced to ensure the safety of vehicle usersHe said the transport ministry has notified the new norms and from October 1 it is proposed that all vehicles shall be fitted with six airbags including side airbagsReplying to supplementaries during the Question Hour Gadkari said in 2020 a total of 8598 lives could have been saved with the use of airbags after head-on collisions of vehiclesEvery year we face five lakh accidents and 15 lakh deaths For that reason we are now taking a number of measures Six airbags are now mandatory We have taken a decision to make it mandatory for the economy models also he saidAs many as 25289 people were killed in head-on collisions in 2020 and 30 per cent of lives in frontal collisions can be saved by airbagsIn 2020 alone 8598 lives could have been saved in head-on collisions with the use of airbags Similarly side collisions cost 14271 lives and 31 per cent of those or 4424 lives could have been saved with the use of side airbags the minister addedWe want to protect the lives of people and that is why we are going to start this rating system which is going to qualitatively improve the automobile sector and at the same time there will be more exports that will lead to more employment potential and growth for the country he saidGadkari said the norms are already notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bharat NCap and our crash standards will improve considerablyIn a written reply he said The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on a proposal in consultation with the stakeholders to formulate a plan which would test and assess the star rating of a car under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme BNCAP The programme will encourage the manufacturers to participate voluntarily in a safety-testing assessment programme and incorporate higher safety levels in new car models with regard to various identified parametersThe proposed assessment will allocate a rating of one to five stars Gadkari saidThe ministry has proposed that M1 category vehicles manufactured after October 1 2022 shall be fitted with two side or side-torso airbags — one each for the persons occupying the front row outboard seating positions — and two side curtain or tube airbags — one each for the persons occupying the outboard seating positionsThe ministry has also proposed that all the front-facing seats in M1 category vehicles manufactured on or after October 1 2022 be provided with three-point seat belts Gadkari said PTI SKC RC
New Delhi Mar 30 PTI As many as 13022 lives could have been saved in the country in 2020 if there were functional airbags in cars Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday while asserting that new norms are being introduced to ensure the safety of vehicle usersHe said the transport ministry has notified the new norms and from October 1 it is proposed that all vehicles shall be fitted with six airbags including side airbagsReplying to supplementaries during the Question Hour Gadkari said in 2020 a total of 8598 lives could have been saved with the use of airbags after head-on collisions of vehiclesEvery year we face five lakh accidents and 15 lakh deaths For that reason we are now taking a number of measures Six airbags are now mandatory We have taken a decision to make it mandatory for the economy models also he saidAs many as 25289 people were killed in head-on collisions in 2020 and 30 per cent of lives in frontal collisions can be saved by airbagsIn 2020 alone 8598 lives could have been saved in head-on collisions with the use of airbags Similarly side collisions cost 14271 lives and 31 per cent of those or 4424 lives could have been saved with the use of side airbags the minister addedWe want to protect the lives of people and that is why we are going to start this rating system which is going to qualitatively improve the automobile sector and at the same time there will be more exports that will lead to more employment potential and growth for the country he saidGadkari said the norms are already notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bharat NCap and our crash standards will improve considerablyIn a written reply he said The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on a proposal in consultation with the stakeholders to formulate a plan which would test and assess the star rating of a car under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme BNCAP The programme will encourage the manufacturers to participate voluntarily in a safety-testing assessment programme and incorporate higher safety levels in new car models with regard to various identified parametersThe proposed assessment will allocate a rating of one to five stars Gadkari saidThe ministry has proposed that M1 category vehicles manufactured after October 1 2022 shall be fitted with two side or side-torso airbags — one each for the persons occupying the front row outboard seating positions — and two side curtain or tube airbags — one each for the persons occupying the outboard seating positionsThe ministry has also proposed that all the front-facing seats in M1 category vehicles manufactured on or after October 1 2022 be provided with three-point seat belts Gadkari said PTI SKC RC
