The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is planning to introduce a safety assessment rating system for trucks and commercial vehicles, mirroring the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP). This initiative is aimed at enhancing vehicle production quality and safety. The government is already working on safety standards for battery-operated e-rickshaws to address existing safety concerns and boost employment.
These announcements were made during a two-day workshop on Vehicle and Fleet safety organised by the New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), where discussions focused on improving vehicle safety worldwide and in India, with the goal of reducing road accidents and fatalities.
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said, “The idea is to encourage manufacturers to improve the production quality making vehicles more safe .
The ministry is also addressing the working conditions of truck drivers, with plans to regulate their working hours, which currently extend to 13-14 hours a day. To combat the shortage of truck drivers, the government intends to establish 32 state-of-the-art driving institutes across the country.
Air conditioning in driver compartments has already been mandated, and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) are also being implemented to support drivers.
Safety challenge
Dr. Rohit Baluja, President of IRTE, said “The Two day Workshop will review progress in vehicle safety worldwide and in India since 2000 and the priority actions needed to achieve further improvements by 2030 and beyond. In particular, the meeting will examine efforts to improve automobile safety worldwide by reviewing the progress made by the G20 major economies, including India, to implement the Global Plan vehicle safety recommendations and feature special sessions on fleet and motorcycle safety.”
India faces a significant challenge with road accidents, accounting for a high number of fatal crashes each year. There are 4.8 lakh road crashes each year resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths. The government’s focus on road safety, safe highways, vehicle safety, and electric vehicles is aimed at addressing this critical issue.
