Automobile Desk: A very big and relief news is coming for the people traveling on Indian roads. Now the government has decided to take a very strict and far-sighted step to stop the terrible accidents happening on the roads every day and the precious lives being lost in them. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has prepared a blueprint to completely change the safety standards of vehicles sold in the country. The government plans to make some such modern features mandatory for cars and big commercial vehicles in the coming years, which will help in averting any major accident by controlling the vehicle automatically.
Recently, a new draft proposal has been released by the Ministry, in which an outline has been prepared to implement an important part of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) – i.e. Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS) in all passenger cars of the country. Under this entire plan, the government has given 30 days time to the general public and experts related to the automobile sector to register their suggestions and objections on it.
After all, what is AEBS and how will it save your life?
Generally, while driving, many times it happens that the driver's attention gets distracted for a few seconds or the vehicle moving in front suddenly applies brakes and due to not maintaining the distance in time, a collision occurs. Autonomous Emergency Braking System or AEBS has been designed to deal with exactly this situation.
The sensors and cameras installed at the front of the car keep a constant eye on the road conditions. If the system senses that there is a danger ahead or a collision with another vehicle is imminent and the brakes are not being applied by the driver, this technology automatically activates the brakes of the vehicle. Due to this, the speed of the vehicle is reduced or in case of a collision, its impact is greatly reduced, due to which the risk of serious injuries or loss of life and property can be avoided to a great extent. However, experts also clearly say that this technology is just a helpful shield, hence the driver must always be alert and pay full attention to the road while driving.
From which year the rule will be applicable to which vehicles?
The government wants to implement this big change in a phased manner instead of imposing it suddenly, so that automobile companies can get full time to make changes in the manufacturing process of their vehicles:
From October 1, 2028: Vehicles—such as M1 category passenger cars or N1 category light commercial vehicles—that already come with this technology will have to strictly comply with the prescribed standards.
From October 1, 2030: It is proposed to make AEBS feature mandatory in all new M1 category car models manufactured in the country. This means that this system will be fitted in new vehicles launched after this date.
From October 1, 2032: By the time this deadline is reached, this rule will be fully implemented on all the old M1 category car models already in production.
New strict standards for steering, lanes and big vehicles too
The matter is not limited only to automatic braking, but the government has also made special preparations regarding the stability and lane driving of the vehicles. From October 1, 2027, completely new standards can be implemented regarding the load on the steering of vehicles and its response, although three-wheelers without steering, motorcycles and some special use vehicles have been exempted from this.
Apart from this, strict rules are also being set for vehicles which have auto-steering or lane-keep assist, i.e. a system that keeps the vehicle in its own lane. Especially from October 1, 2029, such steering and lane-assist systems can be made mandatory for taxis and public transport vehicles, which can give immediate warning if the driver dozes off or feels sleepy during long driving.
On the other hand, the government also has full emphasis on the safety of heavy vehicles like trucks and buses. Preparations are underway to make features like AEBS and blind-spot assist (ie showing the driver the area which is not visible in the mirrors) mandatory in new truck-bus models from January 2027. Along with this, new rules are coming from October 1, 2027 to improve the braking system of trucks and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) technology, which prevents the vehicle from overturning at dangerous turns, can also be made mandatory.
vehicles will talk to each other
The most interesting and modern aspect of this entire roadmap is that the government is also considering incorporating 'Vehicle-to-Vehicle' (V2V) communication technology in new vehicles from October 1, 2028. With the help of this technology, vehicles running on the road will share information about their speed, location and direction among themselves. If there is any sudden problem in the vehicle moving ahead or any vehicle applies brakes suddenly, then the vehicles coming behind will get the signal in the blink of an eye.
At present, this entire blueprint has come out in the form of a draft, on which the discussion and suggestion process will continue for a month. After this, keeping in mind the opinions of all the parties, the Ministry will finalize these safety rules, after which the future of the vehicles running on Indian roads will become completely safe and hi-tech.