New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) for India
Recently the Government of India is planning to launch the India New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
Its purpose is to check the safety of new vehicles. Also, providing star rating on the basis of quality of safety and robustness as per global rating.
Now India will have its own safety standards for road safety, and vehicles will have their own safety ratings.
Other proposed scheme:
- Six airbags will be mandatory for all cars with a seating capacity of up to eight persons.
- Features like three-point seat belts, Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS) etc. will be made mandatory.
- The lane departure warning system will be made mandatory.
- Norms will be prescribed for the transport of dangerous goods. In addition, the transportable quantity of such goods will also be determined in line with European regulations.
- About 1.5 lakh road accidents take place every year. This results in a loss of 3.1 percent in GDP. The government aims to reduce road accidents by 50 percent by the year 2025.
Other initiatives taken for road safety:
- Integrated road accident database has been created.
- Guidelines have been issued for the good Samaritans who saved the life of the accident person.
- Cashless treatment facility has been introduced during the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund and Golden Hour (time period up to one hour after the accident).
- Provisions have been made in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 related to scrapping policy, vehicle recall system etc.
- Accident Potential Hazardous Areas (Black Spots) are being identified and necessary corrections are being made in them. Simultaneously, road safety audits are also being conducted.
Source – The Hindu
