A notification has been passed making it mandatory to have airbags at the passenger side in new cars. This regulation is for the passenger seat in the front of a vehicle, next to the driver.
"This has been mandated as an important safety feature & is also based on suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety," it said.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) stated the new rule will require all new vehicles to have dual front airbags as standard fitment from April 1, 2021. In the case of existing vehicles will be required to be sold with dual airbags from August 31, 2021.
The notification stated this safety feature was based on the suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on road safety.
The Centre also in the notification said that the airbag will need to meet the AIS 145 standard under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications.