While buying a car in India, now not only the price, mileage and design, but also the safety rating has become an important part of the buyers' decision. Till now, to understand the safety of a car, crash tests and 5-star ratings are mainly looked at. However, in the future, car safety assessment is going to be much more comprehensive than this.
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has made a big announcement regarding India NCAP 2.0 in the 66th annual conference of SIAM. The government plans to implement the new safety framework from October 2027. After this, the safety of the car will not only be assessed on the basis of damage caused at the time of the accident, but also on the basis of the entire process before and after the accident.
Crash test alone will not determine the safety of a car.
In the current system of Bharat NCAP, the safety of the passengers sitting in the car is assessed by passing it through different crash tests. This scope is going to be much bigger in the new Bharat NCAP 2.0.
The new framework will focus on three important phases. First, the car's ability to stop an accident before it happens. Second, the safety provided to passengers and pedestrians during an accident. Third, the possibility of safe exit from the car after an accident and timely medical assistance.
This means that in the future, the safety rating of a car will not be decided only by looking at its body or the number of airbags, but the modern safety technologies present in it and the post-accident safety system will also get importance.
Death of youth in road accidents is a matter of concern
The serious situation of road accidents in the country is also a major reason behind widening of safety rules by the government. The figure of about 5 lakh road accidents occurring every year in India and about 1.80 lakh people dying has been put forward.
A large number of youth lose their lives in these accidents. According to Gadkari, about 66 percent of those who lost their lives in road accidents are in the age group of 18 to 36 years.
The government believes that the strong body of the car alone is not enough to reduce deaths in accidents. For this, such technology is necessary in the vehicle which can reduce the possibility of an accident in advance and reduce its impact in case of an accident.
Point system can also be applied on driving license
Along with car safety, the government is also preparing new changes regarding the behavior of drivers. Under this, a plan has been announced to introduce a graded point system for driving license and vehicle registration.
If a person repeatedly violates traffic rules or drives carelessly, points can be deducted from his license. Losing more points than the prescribed limit may result in suspension or permanent cancellation of the license.
On the contrary, there is also a plan to incentivize drivers who drive responsibly. Such drivers are likely to be given other benefits including rebate in insurance premium.
Responsibility of car companies will increase
After the implementation of Bharat NCAP 2.0, the responsibility of vehicle manufacturers regarding safety will increase further. Companies will have to pay more attention to incorporating modern accident-proof technologies in cars.
Along with this, emphasis can also be laid on incorporating safety technologies developed by Indian startups in vehicles. This is expected to promote auto safety technology and domestic manufacturing in the country.
Safety testing will be done at low cost in India
Gadkari also said that testing of a car in Global NCAP can cost around Rs 2.5 crore, whereas in Bharat NCAP the same work can be done for around Rs 60 lakh.
A low-cost testing system can help companies develop safe cars for the Indian market. This will increase the pressure on vehicle manufacturing companies to invest in safety technology and customers are also expected to get cars with better safety.
Perspective on car buying may change after 2027
The way India views car safety may change significantly after the implementation of NCAP 2.0. In future, the customer will not only look at how many stars the car has got, but it will also be important how capable the vehicle is in preventing an accident, how much protection it provides during a collision and how much it helps the passengers to get out safely after the accident.
If the new framework is implemented from October 2027 as per the government's plan, then the Indian automobile market may see a major change regarding safety technology.