How can India make its cars safer and save lives?

Why do I need to wear a seat belt if I am in the back seat? The question has once again surfaced following the unfortunate demise of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry. The accident should serve as a wake-up call.

According to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, those seated in the front seat or occupying front-facing rear seats must wear seat belts. Failure to do so can result in a fine of 1,000 rupees. But, people are either ignorant of this rule or wilfully disobedient. According to an August 2022 Local Circles survey, 70 per cent of Indians don’t wear a seatbelt when seated in the car’s rear seat.

Against this backdrop, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the Centre would now enforce the rule that all travellers in a car must wear a seat belt. He said a penalty had already been decided for defaulters, regardless of whether they were in the car’s front or rear seat. The minister was speaking at a conclave organised by Business Standard.

According to Gadkari, the notification for the rear seat belt mandate would be issued in a matter of days. Car makers, too, need to take note. Chances are, you may have even come across cars where the seat belt exists in the rear seat, but you can't locate the buckle to secure it in. That too will change now.  

The government will also mandate a feature in all vehicles wherein an alarm will go off if the rear-seat passenger is not wearing a seatbelt.

According to reports, the Centre is also planning to ban the manufacture and sale of seat belt clips and alarm stoppers, which act as a workaround to stop the seatbelt warning alarm from going off. Several online retailers sell these little tiny devices that have a seatbelt-locking mechanism that clips into the buckle. But, the belt that actually braces the user is missing. This is doubly dangerous in the event of an accident since the airbags may be inflated, causing even more injury to the occupants. It is the combination of seatbelts and airbags that ensures actual safety.

The government has also been trying to make it mandatory for manufacturers to provide at least six airbags in certain vehicles. A draft notification to this effect had been issued in January. It was applicable to category-M1 vehicles manufactured after the first of October 2022. This category essentially includes cars that can seat up to eight passengers. However, more clarity is needed because when asked whether the government would make a minimum of six airbags mandatory from the October deadline, Gadkari’s recent response was that the government was “trying”.

The problem is that major automakers have been opposing the proposed rule. According to them, the industry’s domestic capacity is not adequate for producing six airbags for each vehicle and it will take a significant amount of time to increase capacity.

Previously, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had also said that faulty detailed project reports for national highways have played a big part in eroding road safety. Now, the government has mandated training for all consultants preparing detailed project reports.

The recent spate of measures is heartening since India has been crying out for an intervention. After the US and Japan, India ranked third in road accidents with 480,652 cases in 2018. These accidents claimed 150,785 lives, which was more than any other country. These were the findings of a report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the World Bank.

Along with new and proposed safety norms, a combination of behaviour modification and enforcement is the need of the hour.

Speaking to Business Standard, Rama Shankar Pandey, Managing Director, Hella India Lighting Ltd says, India has robust road safety regulation roadmap. But, enforcement is lacking. Shift needed from regulate and enforce to assist and alert regime. All stakeholders must create tech-enabled roadmap for the shift.

Ravi G Bhatia, President, JATO Dynamics India says, nudges can be used to modify behaviour. A reward and penalty system is needed, he insists. Telematics can track and help modify driver and passenger behaviour.

Existing technology has many solutions for India's road safety woes, including driver and passenger behaviour. What remains to be seen is whether or not the government can prevail upon the auto industry, which many believe has historically dragged its feet on introducing new safety features.