The Centre on Tuesday said it has proposed to make airbag mandatory for the passenger in the front seat of a vehicle. The step is aimed at improving passenger safety in case of accidents.
The Road Transport Ministry has issued a draft notification. The proposed timelines for the implementation of the move is April 1, 2021, for new models and June 1, 2021, for existing models.
“In a significant measure to boost passenger safety, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) proposes to make it mandatory that an airbag be provided for the passenger seated on the front seat of a vehicle, next to the driver,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The addition of a dual front airbags would spell an increase of roughly between `10,000 to `20,000 in the prices of entry-level versions of the car models.
The MoRTH has planned to implement this norm for all new models of cars which are manufactured from April 1, 2021, onwards. For the existing units, the date for complying with the new rule is proposed to be June 1, 2021.
Previously, the Government had made having an airbag mandatory for the driver’s seat in all cars which came into effect from July 1, 2019.
“Comments/ suggestions are solicited from all stakeholders within a month time,” the draft notification by the MoRTH said.
The draft notification further reads, “Vehicles manufactured on and after 1st Day of April 2021, in the case of new models, and 1st day of June 2021, in the case of existing models, shall be fitted with airbag for the person occupying the front seat, other than the driver. The requirement for such airbag shall be as per AIS 145…under the Bureau of Indian Standards act, 2016.”
“As of now, only the driver’s seat airbag is mandatory for all cars. However, this leaves the passenger in the front seat completely vulnerable to severe injury or even death in case of accidents as they are not protected by the airbag,” said a senior MoRTH official.
Low-cost inclusions such as speed alert, reverse parking sensors and seat-belt reminders have become standard features in most cars but life-saving airbags are still not mandatory, added the senior MoRTH official.
Vehicle safety in India received a major fillip in 2019, with a number of important safety features made mandatory for both two- and four-wheelers and one of the key changes was a driver-side airbag being made compulsory for all passenger vehicles, a life-saving essential that made its way into even the most affordable cars on sale in the country.
However, because the list of mandatory safety equipment specified under the automotive industry standards (AIS) mentioned a driver-side airbag only, some carmakers – who operate in the price-sensitive budget hatchback segment – chose to give the front passenger airbag a skip, only offering it as an optional extra for an added cost. MoRTH’s latest notification is an amendment to the AIS, and mandates the inclusion of a front passenger airbag for all passenger vehicles.
Wednesday, 30 December 2020 | PNS | New Delhi
