Front passenger airbag set to be mandatory for all cars
Airbags for the passenger side of the front seats will soon be made compulsory for all cars in India, including the economy models, the central government has announced. Earlier, airbags were made mandatory for only the driver's seat in all cars. This rule had come into effect on July 1, last year. Here are more details on this.
The top technical committee on vehicle standards has given its approval to the government's proposal to make airbags mandatory for the passenger seat. The government has issued a draft notification to amend Automotive Industry Standards (AIS). The AIS deal with technical specifications in Indian vehicles. The Road Transport Ministry is working on a timeline based on which the new norm will come into effect.
Currently, only the driver seat airbag is mandatory for cars in India. However, this leaves the passenger in the front seat completely vulnerable to severe injuries or even death in case of any accidents. The amendment to the specific AIS also states that child lock systems are no longer allowed for all four-wheelers which are used for commercial transport purposes.
"There is a consensus across the globe that vehicles should have maximum features to protect the occupants in case of a crash," a government official has told The Times of India. The ministry is tabulating that a time period of one year should be enough for car owners to comply with the new norm, sources told the daily.
According to a report, the inclusion of a front seat airbag could imply an increase of roughly Rs. 5,000-8,000 in the prices of entry-level versions of some cars in India.
