Come July 1, 2019 and advanced safety bits such as airbags, seatbelt reminders, manual override, alert system (beyond 80km/h) and reverse parking sensor will be mandatory on all cars being manufactured in India. Reports in media indicate that the Ministry of Road and Transport has ostensibly given a nod to make the above-mentioned features mandatory on all cars being manufactured in India effectively from July 1, 2019, albeit an official announcement is yet to be made. Also See – Odd-Even Scheme Is Ready To Make A Come Back in Delhi
Carmakers have been offering airbags and other vital tech like reverse parking sensors even on entry-level cars, albeit these features are either restricted to the range-topping trim or come as an optional provision on select variants. With this new safety reform, most of the significant safety bits will come as standard across segments. That said, these features are currently available as standard only in premium cars. Also Read – No Pillion On Bikes, Scooters Below 100cc Capacity in Karnataka
While most of the cars feature airbags and seatbelt reminder, the speed monitoring system is something the entry level models mostly miss out on. This feature would alert the driver if the speed of the car goes beyond the 80km/h mark. The alert will get sharper as the speed increases to 100km/h and will continue to buzz without any pause when the speed crosses 120km/h limit. While the manual override feature can be used when the central locking system becomes dysfunctional and the occupants are locked inside the car. As for the parking sensors, it alerts the driver when an object is close to the car when the car is being reversed. Also See – India Set To Get Three More Race Tracks In 2018
Road accidents have claimed many lives in India, data reveals that around 74,000 people died in road accidents in 2016 owing to speeding. While in total around 1.51 lakh people succumbed to road mishaps, which is alarming and hence right measures need to be taken to curb the situation.
