A driver’s side airbag was made compulsory in 2019, along with some other safety tech like reverse parking sensors, ABS with EBD and a high-speed alert system
In 2019, The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) passed a revolutionary mandate to make a range of safety features standard on all cars sold in India. These include a driver’s side airbag, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors as well as a high-speed alert system. Now, the Government has decided to take another step towards improving road safety.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in a gazette notification has announced a new rule that will require all new vehicles to have dual front airbags as a standard fitment from April 1, 2021 onwards.
“Ministry has issued Gazette notification regarding mandatory provision of an airbag for passenger seated on front seat of a vehicle, next to driver. This has been mandated as an important safety feature & is also based on suggestions of Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety,” the notification said.
MoRTH’s notification also says that the mandate is an important safety feature, and is also based on the suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on road safety. While all new cars that will be launched after April 1 this year have to be offered with dual frontal airbags, existing vehicles will be required to be sold with dual airbags from August 31, 2021.
Safety has today become one of the most important factors one considers while purchasing a new car, and hence, manufacturers have also started adding a range of safety tech to their cars. It should be noted that this new mandate will be most useful in entry-level cars, since almost all other cars currently offered in India come equipped with driver- and passenger-side airbags as a standard fitment.
In order to keep the costs in check, many companies do not offer a passenger-side airbag in the entry-level variants of some affordable cars. However, the new mandate sends the message loud and clear – basic safety features need to be provided to everyone, regardless of the vehicle they’re purchasing.