For a long time, mass-produced car models for the domestic Indian market were characterized by extremely simple configurations without modern safety systems, as a result of which they failed crash tests and became dangerous to operate. But on July 1, 2019, the requirement for new passenger cars to be equipped with a driver’s airbag came into force. And from November 1, 2022, there must be at least two such devices – in addition to the driver’s “airbag,” the car must have a front passenger airbag.
The next tightening of requirements will lead to the appearance of six airbags – in addition to the front airbags for the driver and passenger, a pair of side airbags and two curtain airbags will be required. This was stated by Indian Road Transport and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Autocar reported. According to the draft regulatory act approved by the ministry, six airbags will become mandatory in all cars carrying up to 8 passengers.
So far we are talking only about the draft document and the start date of the new requirement has not been specified. However, Indian media fear that the innovation will make budget car models much more expensive. According to some estimates, six airbags will add up to 50 thousand rupees (about 670 US dollars) to the price – a significant increase for the most basic cars costing 4-5 thousand dollars. In addition, for the period 2022-2023, new restrictions on harmful emissions will come into force in India, which will also affect the cost of cars.
At the same time, experts in the field of automobile safety supported the initiative of the Indian authorities. This is how David Ward, executive president of Global NCAP, commented on the news:
“Our crash test results clearly show how airbags help prevent deaths and serious injuries. Therefore, the new rules are welcome. This move could help automakers score higher in the Global NCAP rankings under the Safercarsforindia protocol with tests including side impact.”