The car feature which could have saved more than 13,000 lives

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, that 13,022 lives could have been saved in the country in the year 2020, if functional airbags were installed in cars. He said a total of 8,598 people who died in head-on collisions of vehicles in a single year could have been saved by the use of airbags.

At least 25,289 people died in head-on collisions in 2020, of which 30% could have been avoided if airbags opened properly during direct collisions. Similarly, 14,271 people lost their lives due to side collisions and 31% or 4,424 of those lives could have been saved with the use of side airbags.

Nitin Gadkari said that every year more than five lakh road accidents take place in the country. Of these, 1.5 lakh lose their lives. For this reason, there are now several measures.

Read | DNA Explainer: What is 6 airbags mandate and its challenges

Crash testing program to begin

Nitin Gadkari also highlighted that new norms are being introduced to ensure the safety of vehicle users. He said, "Six airbags are now mandatory. We have decided to make it mandatory for the economy model as well."

Additionally, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on a proposal in consultation with stakeholders to prepare a plan, which will test and evaluate the star rating of the car under the India New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP).

How will testing be done?

Under this program, cars will be given a rating of one to five stars. Auto manufacturers will be encouraged to voluntarily participate in a safety-test evaluation program and incorporate higher safety standards into new car models with respect to various identified parameters.

"We want to protect the lives of the people and hence we are going to introduce this rating system," Nitin Gadkari said.

(With Agency Inputs)