Crash test for BNCAP

Enforcement & education are the key

The introduction of the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) norms by Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari moves the needle on passenger safety but will require more substantive enforcement to make a meaningful difference. For one, the norms, which will be effective from October 1, are voluntary. This flexibility could offer manufacturers a loophole to avoid subjecting their new launches to safety test norms. Global NCAP norms are compulsory in the US but voluntary in Europe, though customer demand has ensured that nearly 80 per cent of the cars undergo such tests before hitting the market. But safety has been a low priority for car manufacturers in the Indian market. Of the 50-odd “made in India” cars that have undergone global crash tests, only about seven have achieved five-star ratings so far.

Most carmakers in India routinely complain when the government mandates basic safety standards, such as seat belts and front-seat airbags, on grounds that costs go up and margins fall because Indian buyers are unwilling to pay more for safety features. This has, however, demonstrably not been the case. Though India remains a price-sensitive market, the increasingly prosperous middle class is moving up the value chain, buying larger and more expensive cars and increasingly focusing on safety. Similar objections were raised when the government considered making six airbags mandatory for passenger vehicles — now, the rule has been limited to eight-seaters, with effect from October 1.

For the most part, the BNCAP norms follow the GNCAP ones in awarding similar points for front- and side-impact tests. Unusually, though, the BNCAP rules do not award any points for seat-belt reminders and give a three-star rating or higher only for front-seat belts. This, even though back-seat belts were made mandatory in 2005 and the transport ministry recently mandated back-seat belt reminders, which manufacturers, in fact, implemented. For the rest, features such as child occupation protection, electronic stability control, the side-pole impact test, and pedestrian protection (which involves introducing such features as indirect vision, rearview mirrors, and so on), the norms largely match. The big difference is in the price. At roughly Rs 60 lakh per vehicle, the BNCAP is far cheaper than the Rs 2.5 crore if the tests were done overseas, which raises the question of whether India-made cars can qualify for the export market if they have undergone BNCAP tests (made-for-export cars are currently required to pass GNCAP tests).

It is possible that the introduction of an Indian version of NCAP norms will make “made in India” cars safer. In China, for instance, most new cars hit five-star ratings once indigenous norms were introduced based on stringent Euro NCAP norms. This is a notable achievement for an industry that was known for its poor quality just a decade ago. Local NCAP norms, however, are unlikely to make a significant difference to India’s record on road accidents — India accounts for 15 per cent of the road fatalities globally. Most of these fatalities involve helmet-less two-wheeler riders and their pillions and jay-walking pedestrians. A dynamic education programme in road safety would help, as would stricter norms for helmet manufacture. Imposing a duty on imported helmets to promote domestic manufacture is also a misplaced application of atmanirbharta. Citizens’ safety must surely come first.