Global NCAP urges SIAM to adopt new safety standards after Gauhati HC interim order

Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP), a London-based car safety watchdog, has suggested Indian automobile manufacturers to take a 'voluntary initiative' and apply the United Nations standards for front and side impact (UN regulations 94 and 95), at least for new models from 1st January, 2016.

This move by GNCAP comes a day after media reports of the interim order by the Gauhati High Court banning the sale of small cars in Assam. This move can be seen as an impact of the results of the GNCAP tests last year where some cars from India failed to get any star rating. The Gauhati High Court cites the test held in November 2014, in its interim order.

In a letter to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), David Ward, the secretary general of GNCAP, writes, “In the wake of the recent Assam Interim Court Order banning the sale of small four- wheelers that fail international crash tests, and ahead of the new occupant protection regulations being applied by the Indian Government from October 2017, Global NCAP respectfully encourages SIAM to take its own voluntary initiative on car safety.”

A voluntary move before the new safety regulations in October 2017 would demonstrate both the skills of the Indian automotive industry and its commitment to road safety, says Ward in his letter. In an attempt to convince the Indian automobile manufacturers, the letter cites examples of voluntary steps by the automobile industry in Europe. One relates to 2001 for a voluntary commitment setting new standards for all new automobiles concerning bumpers, anti-lock brake systems and daytime running lights. The other is of 2006, when 17 automotive CEOs made a global commitment to ensure that seatbelts would be fitted in all models by 2008.   

Indian vehicles already meet the existing safety norms. The new norms of 2017 are expected to raise the safety level in Indian roads significantly. In an interaction with Autocar Professional, Ward said that the Indian automotive industry today – in terms of safety – is where the European industry was 20 years ago. He says that for both major domestic and international automobile companies in India, moving up the safety curve swiftly should not be a problem as they already produce vehicles for exports that meet global safety standards.

2015 being the mid-point of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, GNCAP says that “now would be a propitious time for SIAM to take its own progressive action to improve vehicle safety”.

Keep reading this space to know how SIAM reacts to GNCAP's proposal.