Tuesday, August 22, 2023
By Manoj Kumawat
Bharat NCAP Launched In India
Finally, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari launched the highly awaited Bharat New Car Assessment Program in India to improve road safety and car standards in India. With this India became the fifth country in the world to have its dedicated car crash safety assessment program, after the USA, China, Japan and South Korea. The new car assessment program will come into effect from October 2023. According to government sources, the new program intends to offer a robust tool to customers to make a proper assessment of the safety features available in the cars being sold in the country.
Apart from making people aware of the safety standards offered in motor vehicles, the BNCAP programme is also believed to place the cars manufactured in India in a better position in the international car market. It is also believed to control the number of deaths and injuries due to road accidents within the country. Manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Toyota Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have already considered this as a bold step for the betterment of the auto industry of the country.
With the implementation of the new BNCAP programme, the car manufacturers in the country will have to present their cars for testing of their vehicles under the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197. The BNCAP will be authorised to select and pick specific cars manufactured in the country or imported from the showroom for random crash testing. This will help in making the whole process more transparent. The cars tested will have to undergo multiple crash tests before their star rating of Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP). To clear the crash testing with a three-star rating or above this, will have to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) as a standard feature.
Speaking about the features of BNCAP, it is designed according to standards determined in the Global NCAP and the Euro NCAP tests. These standards are based on the norms determined by the industry for many years. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways believes that after the introduction of the BNCAP, there will be an increase in the demand for safe cars in the country, and encourage manufacturers to develop new cars according to customer needs.
