Appeal To Vehicle Manufacturers To Make 6 Airbags Compulsory: Nitin Gadkari

The minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has said that he has made an appeal to vehicle manufacturers to make a minimum of six airbags compulsory across all variants and segments. The Union Minister announced the development in a tweet while meeting a delegation of CEOs of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). In addition to making six airbags compulsory, the minister also tweeted about discussing the rollout of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that are capable of running on 100 per cent ethanol and gasoline within a year.

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In a tweet, Nitin Gadkari said, "Met a delegation of CEOs of SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) in New Delhi today. Emphasised on the need for a quick roll-out of Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) capable of running on 100% ethanol and gasoline into the Indian auto market within a year's time."

In a follow-up tweet, he wrote, "In the interest of passenger safety, I have also appealed all Private Vehicle Manufacturers to compulsorily provide a minimum of 6 Airbags across all variants and segments of the vehicle."

Met a delegation of CEOs of SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) in New Delhi today. Emphasised on the need for a quick roll-out of Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) capable of running on 100% ethanol and gasoline into the Indian auto market within a year's time. pic.twitter.com/L338x77JNw

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) August 3, 2021

In the interest of passenger safety, I have also appealed all Private Vehicle Manufacturers to compulsorily provide a minimum of 6 Airbags across all variants and segments of the vehicle. pic.twitter.com/0clrCyHvid

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) August 3, 2021

Side airbags are currently offered in select mass-market cars in India and specifically on the top variants

The appeal is a big welcome and will help make Indian cars safer for the occupants. Airbags reduce the chance of your upper body or head striking against the interior of the vehicle in the event of a crash. Interestingly, several developed markets do not get side airbags as mandatory fitment but they do become necessary to meet the crash test and safety requirements.

In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandates frontal airbags as standard fitment, whereas the side airbags can be offered as an optional fitment. According to a 2015 report by the NHTSA, front airbags reduce driver fatalities in frontal crashes by 29 per cent, while fatalities of front-seat passengers age 13 and older reduced by 32 per cent. A 2007 study by McCartt & Kyrychenko concluded that side airbags helped reduce a driver's risk of death in driver-side crashes by 37 per cent and an SUV driver's risk by 52 per cent.

An illustration of the deployed side airbags on the Honda Jazz hatchback

At present, select mass-market cars in India get six airbags as standard fitment. Most manufacturers do offer the safety feature on the top variants alone. Meanwhile, dual front airbags are now mandatory on all new cars sold in the country. If made mandatory, the additional airbags will add a significant cost impact on manufacturers, which will be passed on to customers as well. It needs to be seen then how OEMs will react to the appeal.