India’s new car safety rating protocol.

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Why in the news?

Recently, India launched its own crash test rating assessment system that will come into effect from October 1. With the implementation of norms, India will join half a dozen other countries and geographies that have these norms.
A crash test is a collision of a vehicle in a controlled environment to assess its safety parameters.
The norms define safety standards of motor vehicles with type approval for seating up to eight people, and with a gross weight of less than 3.5 tonnes, which are either manufactured or sold in the country.
The standards will offer customers an objective metric to compare the crash safety of vehicle models before buying, and will nudge manufacturers to progressively improve the safety ratings of models.

Score For Testing Protocol

The Bharat NCAP testing protocol is aligned with global crash test protocols, and will have ratings from 1 star to 5. The higher the NCAP score (stars) the safer the car.

Evaluation will cover

Adult Occupant Protection (AOP);
Child Occupant Protection (COP);
Fitment of Safety Assist Technologies;
For this, three tests will be conducted: a frontal impact test, a side impact test, and a side pole impact test; and
Based on the vehicle’s performance in these tests, the model will be offered separate star ratings for AOP and COP.

Format Of The Testing

To begin with, the exercise will be voluntary. Carmakers will be encouraged to offer their models for testing as per the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.
Once the manufacturer offers a vehicle model for crash testing, the manufacturing facility will be visited by a Bharat NCAP team that will pick a base variant of the model through random sampling.
This vehicle will be taken to the Bharat NCAP testing center, and put through the crash test in the presence of the manufacturer’s representatives. The results will be compiled and shared with the manufacturer.
After a Bharat NCAP standing committee approves the entire process, the crash test results and the star rating of that vehicle will be published.
The parameters under review include an assessment of the car’s structural integrity in the event of a frontal collision or a sideways impact, provision of active and passive safety assist technologies, safety of adult and child occupants in the vehicle, and the vehicle’s overall pedestrian-friendly design, which will be used to determine the final rating.

Why Testing Of Vehicle Is Important

So far, carmakers have been shipping models abroad for testing and star grading, an expensive and time-consuming affair.
These tests largely covered petrol and diesel cars. Bharat NCAP will also test and rate CNG and electric vehicles based on their crash performance.

The New Norms Could Lead To

- An improvement of the quality of cars sold in the country, and the export-worthiness of India-made automobiles a big success.
- Over time, the program is expected to catalyze a change in consumer behavior and lead to an increase in the demand for safer cars,
- Nudging manufacturers to increase focus on safety.

Global NCAP, and India’s Strategy

The Bharat NCAP norms are aligned with the format of the Global NCAP, which worked with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in formulating the Indian edition of the crash tests.
Testing a car under the Bharat NCAP program would cost around Rs 60 lakh, while a similar test overseas would cost around Rs 2.5 crore.
Global NCAP did not inform manufacturers about the tests, and picked cars from showrooms while this caused considerable heartburn for players in the Indian auto sector, as a result most Indian carmakers have embraced the launch of Bharat NCAP as a positive step.

Conclusion

India is the 3rd largest automobile market in the world in terms of sales and has immense future potential .
Recently, introduced new car safety rating protocol is a significant step in right direction as any car that is launched in India follows the mandatory safety standards set by the government.
Therefore, For consumers seeking extra safety information, the Bharat NCAP system is an authentic and objective rating system to empower the customer to make an informed choice.

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