India to Introduce Safety Ratings for Commercial Vehicles, Says Transport Minister

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways plans to launch safety assessment ratings for trucks and commercial vehicles, similar to the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP), announced Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. He made this statement while inaugurating a two-day workshop on vehicle and fleet safety organized jointly by the Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP) and Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) in Faridabad on Thursday.

The government is also developing standards and safety assessment systems for battery-operated e-rickshaws, which currently face safety challenges. "The idea is to encourage manufacturers to improve production quality making vehicles more safe. The safety improvement in e-rikshaws will improve their quality and generate more employment," Gadkari said.

According to official data, India records approximately 4.8 lakh road crashes annually, resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths. Addressing this issue, the minister stated that road safety, expansion of safe highways, vehicle safety, and promotion of electric vehicles are the government's top priorities.

The ministry is simultaneously working on legislation to regulate working hours for truck drivers, who currently drive for 13-14 hours daily. To address the shortage of truck drivers, the government plans to establish 32 state-of-the-art driving institutes across the country. The ministry has already mandated air conditioning in driver compartments and the implementation of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Recently, the government introduced road safety as part of the school curriculum for students from classes 1 to 12, with modules to be implemented in the current academic year. A road safety anthem by singer Shankar Mahadevan will be translated into 22 languages to spread awareness nationwide.

The two-day workshop will review progress in vehicle safety worldwide and in India since 2000 and identify priority actions needed for further improvements by 2030. Dr. Rohit Baluja, President of IRTE, said the meeting will examine efforts to improve automobile safety by reviewing the progress made by G20 major economies in implementing Global Plan vehicle safety recommendations, with special sessions on fleet and motorcycle safety.

David Ward, President Emeritus of GNCAP, noted, "Consumers in India with most vehicles having GNCAP and BNCAP assessment ratings have better choice of safer vehicles. It is a good moment towards UN objective of road safety by 2030."

The Bharat NCAP was launched in August 2023 as India's indigenous safety assessment program for passenger vehicles. The program evaluates vehicles for adult and child occupant protection as well as safety assist technologies, awarding star ratings similar to other international NCAP programs. The extension of safety ratings to commercial vehicles represents a significant expansion of these safety initiatives in one of the world's largest automobile markets.