Vehicle safety in India has seen tremendous progress over the last decade, particularly with the notable efforts of Global NCAP, which, with its SaferCarsForIndia programme, has spread awareness among consumers by surfacing crash safety of some of the popular car models on sale in the country. The programme, which crossed the 50-car test mark in 2022 in terms of evaluating crash performance of some made-in-India models, has recently upgraded its protocols to include ESC as a key requirement.
David Ward, Executive President, Towards Zero Foundation, talks about the rewarding journey of the SaferCarsForIndia programme, and how it has struck the right conversations around vehicle safety, as well as been instrumental in pushing OEMs towards incorporating more safety features in their products, while driving government authorities towards bringing in regulatory reforms that enhance vehicle safety.