[Answered] Elucidate the significance of the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP) norms introduced by the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways.

Recently, India has launched its crash test rating assessment system joining the list of many nations that rely on their crash test rating assessment and establish safety parameters. The new norms are labelled under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme or Bharat NCAP & will come into effect from October 1. The norms define safety standards of motor vehicles with type approval for seating up to eight people and with a gross weight of less than 3.5 tonnes, which are either manufactured or sold in the country. Only the base model of a particular variant will be tested.

What is the significance of the new norms?

• Standard metric to compare vehicles: The new vehicle safety regulations will encourage automakers to steadily raise the safety ratings of their models and provide consumers with objective criteria to compare the safety tests of various vehicle types before making a purchase.
• Less expensive & time-consuming: Presently, car makers ship their car models abroad for testing and star grading as per Global NCAP norms which is an expensive and time-consuming affair. The new norms will significantly reduce this cost as various studies suggest per vehicle testing cost as per BNCAP is roughly 60 lakh per vehicle, while it is roughly 2.5 crore if the tests were done overseas.
• Quality improvement: The new regulations may increase both the national average quality of cars and the exportability of vehicles built in India. Over time, it is anticipated that the program would affect how consumers behave, create demand for safer vehicles, and encourage automakers to put a greater emphasis on safety.
• Align Bharat NCAP with global standards: India will also need to increase the testing parameters for Bharat NCAP over time to bring it into compliance with international standards. For instance, the U.S. NCAP also includes a roll-over test, while Japan’s NCAP covers electric shock protection performance after a collision and, the performance of neck injury protection in a rear-end collision.
• Reduce fatalities: India has one of the highest rates of fatal traffic accidents worldwide, with almost 1.5 lakh fatalities on its roadways each year. India has committed to halving the number of traffic-related fatalities and injuries by 2030 as per the Stockholm Declaration. The new BNCAP will help India to fulfil its international obligations & save human lives.

Conclusion:

The new BNCAP norms are voluntary and this flexibility could offer manufacturers a loophole to avoid subjecting their new launches to safety test norms. Further strict enforcement of the new norms coupled with a dynamic education program in road safety will make the Bharat NCAP system an authentic and objective rating system to empower the customer to make an informed choice.