New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari Tuesday launched the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) — India’s own crash safety assessment system for new vehicles.
The long-awaited programme, which will be rolled out on 1 October, is voluntary and would be similar — but not identical — to international NCAP tests, which seek to evaluate the safety features of a car through multiple crash tests.
The car taking the new safety test will be rated out of five and the findings of the test will be made public.
At the launch, Gadkari said Bharat NCAP will help consumers understand safety standards of vehicles and improve road safety.
“Every hour, we have 47 accidents and 18 deaths, and in 70 percent of the death (cases), the loss of life is in the age group between 18-34 years. The loss of GDP is slightly over 3 percent. There are over 2,000 deaths where the reason is defects in motor vehicles,” the minister said. It’s unclear which year this data is from.
He added that consumers are increasingly demanding better quality in the vehicles they purchase and the new programme will provide them with detailed assessments.
Car manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor India Limited have welcomed the programme.
Maruti’s Executive Officer (Corporate Affairs) Rahul Bharti said in a statement that Bharat NCAP provides “an authentic and objective rating system to empower the customer to make an informed choice”, especially for consumers seeking extra safety information.
Hyundai Motor India Limited Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Unsoo Kim said the move will help “raise safety standards, empower consumers with vital information, and make Indian roads safer for all”.
“We welcome the Bharat NCAP safety initiative by the Government of India and believe this effort will raise safety standards,” he said in a statement.“At Hyundai Motor India, we remain committed to delivering the highest safety standards across our entire product range.”
Here’s a look at what the programme entails, how it compares with global NCAP tests and how consumers stand to benefit from it.
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What Bharat NCAP tests entail
The Bharat NCAP is a voluntary programme and applies to vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes (3,500 kg) and with a capacity of up to eight passengers including the driver. The programme allows a consumer to make their decision based on how a vehicle performs under crash tests, and make comparisons.
It was first conceived in 2011 but eventually picked up pace in 2016, when the central government decided it was time to take measures to prevent road accidents.
Under the programme, a vehicle manufacturer will offer some cars of its preferred model for testing. The programme will test vehicles under different scenarios — frontal crash impact, side-crash impact and side-pole crash impact — using dummies. A new vehicle will have to be used for each new situation.
The programme will assess safety protocols for adults and children, rating vehicles on the basis of these. For instance, for a 5-star rating for adult safety, a car will be assessed on its anti-locking braking (ABS) system — a system that prevents the car’s wheels from locking when the brakes are applied — seat-belt reminders (SBR), pedestrian protection and electronic stability control (ESC), a system that helps prevent the vehicle from skidding.
For a child, on the other hand, vehicles will need a child restraint system (CRS) — a system used to minimise injuries to children — to get rated 5-star.
According to Regulation 44 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, CRS has been classified into categories based on the weight of the child. Under this, CRS faces the rear for children weighing up to 13 kg and needs an integrated harness for those up to 18 kg. For those up to 36 kg, meanwhile, the vehicle’s seat belt is used for restraining.
‘Aim to bring it on par with international standards’
Globally, there are nine other NCAPs, with the first programme being launched in the United States in 1978.
According to David Ward, president of Global NCAP, who was present at Tuesday’s launch, the differences between Bharat NCAP and those used across the world are “very small”.
Ward’s organisation, Global NCAP, is a major project of the Towards Zero Foundation — a UK-based charity foundation that promotes safe and sustainable mobility.
According to him, three car manufacturers in India — Tata Motors, Mahindra and Skoda — are in the race to achieve 4- and 5-star ratings for their fleets.
About the differences between the Indian and the international NCAP, Ward said that “some parameters” will have to be included to get it at par with international systems, but did not elaborate. He, however, appreciated the Indian programme saying that its evaluations begin at a “higher standard of requirement” compared to the existing government regulations.
“People often confuse regulations with NCAPs, but the latter is voluntary and it is up to the manufacturers to choose to be tested,” he said at the launch. “But these tests are above and beyond the minimum regulatory standards.”
As an example, he said that there is no regulation for electronic stability control (ESC) in India. An ESC is a safety provision that helps prevent a car from skidding while turning, applying brakes or making any such sudden manoeuvres.
“They (government) have promised to introduce it, but already, in the market there are 8 percent of new vehicles that have the ESC. That’s the NCAP effect, which drives the performance above regulations,” Ward said at the launch.
According to Gadkari, testing is significantly cheaper in India than overseas — it costs Rs 60 lakh in India in comparison to Rs 2.5 crore abroad, the minister said at the launch.
Like Ward, Gadkari, too, said there were differences in evaluation parameters between the Indian and the global system.
“We aim to bring it (Bharat NCAP) on a par with the global standards,” he said.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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