After several years of ‘will they, won’t they’ the government has finally introduced a crash-testing program called the Bharat New Car Assessment Program for new passenger vehicles under 3.5 tonne. This brings India in line with most other nations in the world who have their own crash testing programmes for new vehicles. So, what do we know so far about BNCAP?
For one, the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197 protocol for vehicles, which serves as the basis for BNCAP, has been in draft form for a while. The final norms align with the final draft of the BNCAP testing proposal that was shared in late June 2023. Going through the proposals, it is clear that the BNCAP is in line with the latest testing norms undertaken by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) organisation. These involve several destructive tests to measure Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP).
BNCAP tests
The programme also includes a frontal offset crash test, where the car is dragged by a pulley until it reaches a speed of 64 kilometres per hour. At this point, the vehicle drives into a deformable aluminium honeycomb barrier, hitting 40 per cent of the front of the car. This is typical of most vehicular collisions on roads without a divider. There is also a side impact test that simulates a heavy vehicle slamming into the side of the test vehicle. The pole side impact test, is an interesting test in the programme as it considers the fact that vehicles often slam into an electricity or light pole after losing control in an accident situation.
The vehicles are assessed on several factors, starting with vehicular integrity. This involves examining how the front crumple zone of the vehicle behaves during frontal impact and how the middle pillar (the ‘B Pillar’) between the doors responds in side impact tests. Is there structural bending? Do the doors open on impact and is there fuel leakage at the end of the accident (or battery integrity in electric cars)? Along with that, you might have seen crash test dummies placed inside the vehicles. These dummies, which resemble human bodies, are equipped with accelerometers at several points in the body. The accelerometers can measure the acceleration and deceleration forces (G-Forces) on the body, and they have to be within certain parameters.
Two adult dummies, male and female, are placed in the front seats, while two child dummies are in the rear—one in an infant carrier and the other in a child restraint system (CRS – child seat). Several surfaces, such as the steering wheel are also painted to see whether the driver dummy’s head impacted the steering wheel or if the collapsible steering column did its job.
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Having attended a frontal crash test conducted by Maruti Suzuki at their research and development facilities in Rohtak, Haryana, I can confirm that it happens very quickly and is extremely loud. It is also recorded by tens of high-speed cameras that record at over 10,000 frames per second or even faster. These high-speed cameras require a lot of light, which is why most crash tests occur under extremely bright studio lights.
If you have seen a crash test on YouTube or the Global NCAP website, you would notice markings on the vehicle, the dummies and even a scale in the background. These are all for post-crash analysis by both the testing agency and the manufacturer, particularly to see how factors such as airbags deploy. An incorrect airbag deployment can do more damage than good.
Even if a vehicle scores highly, the testing regime evolves over time and manufacturers are constantly making their cars safer. For example, the side-impact and pole-impact tests were not part of the testing regime before mid-2022. Thus, a vehicle tested before that with a high-score might not score as the same under the current regime. With the conditions for a vehicle to score five stars for AOP and COP on BNCAP being identical to the current Global NCAP norms, only the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus have five-star scores for AOP and COP. The Mahindra Scorpio-N has a five-star AOP score but a lower COP score, although it is the only ‘ladder frame’ vehicle in the world with such a high score.
Additionally, the AIS-197 norms make it clear that to have a five-star rating, the pole-side impact test is mandatory. The test vehicle has to be fitted with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), essentially a computer that keeps the car within a safety envelope. In fact, without this feature, cars will be unable to score more than two stars. Just to get a score, cars will need to have built-in pedestrian safety features such as a front bonnet that pops up to reduce the impact as well as seat-belt reminders for front passengers.
Safety a key selling point
While the government has introduced the programme, there is still time before compliance kicks in. BNACP remains an optional test for carmakers and vehicles in the 2022 and 2023 model years. While testing will start soon, cars will be able to carry their safety scores from 1 October 2023 onwards.
However, a few things have to kept in mind. While a 64 kilometre per hour offset-frontal crash simulates typical urban pace, highway accidents usually occur at far higher speeds. But features like ESC help even at higher speeds. And child safety ratings are only applicable to children and infants seated in car seats or infant carriers. A five-star child occupant safety rating is worthless in an accident if a child is not properly seated and belted inside a seat.
Over the past few years, manufacturers such as Tata Motors, Mahindra and Skoda-Volkswagen have been voluntarily sending their vehicles for tests by Global NCAP. They believe as the Indian car market evolves, so will buyer preferences and safety will become a key selling point. With the Bharat-NCAP norms coming in, manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai India are also expected to raise their standards
because they will realise that unsafe cars will not sell. There will also be another side effect of this, which is higher prices. More electronics and airbags will mean that the sasta and tikau hatchback might become a thing of the past, but as it is, there are just a few of entry-level models available below Rs 5 lakh today.
Kushan Mitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. He tweets @kushanmitra. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)