India may set up a vehicle assessment programme for ranking vehicles based on safety features

NEW DELHI: To improve vehicle safety, the government is working on a plan to start of awarding star certification to vehicle models based on their safety. The road transport and highways ministry has proposed to set up a specialised agency to be called New Vehicle Assessment Programme to test the safety of vehicle models being sold in India.

The ministry is already in process of making airbags, anti-lock braking system (ABS) and pedestrian safety features mandatory in cars along with electronic stability control (ESC) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) will be incorporated in new vehicles by 2022.

Special safety features are also being made mandatory for two wheelers which account for 72% of automobiles in India. Two-wheelers account for 72% of automobiles in India, more than half of the fatalities in road accidents involve two-wheeler riders.

Abhay Damle, joint secretary, ministry of road transport and highways on Wednesday had said, "advanced safety features are needed in all vehicles in India as vehicle safety cannot be confined to luxury vehicles only.”