Indian transport vehicles to have more safety features

Aiming to provide international standards of safety measures in transport vehicles, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is in the process of finalising the implementation of standards for Electronic Stability Control systems (ESC) and brake assist systems for cars by next two years.

"The notification of ESC for buses has been issued last year. A draft notification has also been issued for electronic stability control systems for buses, which is likely to be brought into force by April 2023. The government working on to implement a higher level of safety for all categories of vehicles, " said a statement from the Ministry.

ESC and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) are safety features which can prevent an accident.

ESC is an anti-skid technology that corrects the slide by reducing engine torque and braking individual wheels.

AEB will continuously monitor the road and automatically applies the brakes if the driver fails to do in a possible crash situation.

The Ministry also said it has identified certain priority areas for international standardisation in this field. These include the tyre pressure monitoring system, if fitted for certain categories of vehicles, which is likely to come into force by October, the statement added.

The standards for vehicle dimensions and safety of construction equipment vehicles have been notified. Similarly, notifications have already been issued for side stands, footrests and external projections of two-wheelers. These will come into force soon, the statement added.

The Ministry has already notified a number of regulations for upgrading emission and safety features in Indian automobiles. These include the draft notifications for anti-lock braking systems, airbags, speed alert systems, reverse parking assist and crash standards, the statement added.

To reduce the fatalities in road accidents, the government has been implementing more safety features in vehicles.

With India on an average witnessing about 5 lakh road accidents per annum in which about 1.5 lakh people die and about 3 lakh are crippled, there is a pressure on the government to take steps to reduce the accidents.