Following the implementation of the mandatory fitment of two airbags for the driver and two front seats for the passengers in all models of cars, the Ministry of Transport will now accelerate the compulsory fitment of four more airbags for the rear seat passengers.
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will issue a draft notification making it mandatory for automobile manufacturers to provide a minimum of six airbags in vehicles that can carry up to eight passengers,
In a series of tweets on Friday, he said his ministry had already mandated the implementation of fitment of the driver airbag with effect from July 1, 2019 and front co-passenger airbag with effect from January 1, 2022.
“In order to enhance the safety of the occupants in motor vehicles carrying upto 8 passengers, I have now approved a Draft GSR (General Statutory Rules) notification to make a minimum of 6 airbags compulsory,” Gadkari said.
He also said in order to minimize the impact of frontal and lateral collisions on the occupants seated in both front and rear compartments, it has been decided that four additional airbags be mandated in the M1 vehicle category.
Market leaders have indicated that the price of the four airbags and the required changes to the vehicles would be around Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000. He said that this additional cost would go a long way in helping the safety of the passengers in the cars.
The government had introduced two airbags in all new models of cars from last year and this mandatory norm for all existing models came into effect from January 1.
Sources said that each airbag would cost around Rs 1,800 and that the necessary modifications to the vehicles would be around Rs 400 or Rs 500, while the cost would come down for cars that are sold in large numbers.
The National Crime Records Bureau numbers indicate that as many as 17,538 car riders died in road accidents, which is about 13% of the total road accidents in the country.
While the ministry’s push to improve the safety of passengers in cars is seen as a progressive step, poor use of seatbelts by rear seat occupants despite being mandated by law remains a concern. This is because the accuracy of the airbag is high only when the passengers are wearing seatbelts.
