6 Airbags to be made Standard Compulsory in Cars from October 2023

6 Airbags will feature as Standard in Cars from October 2023. Ministry of Road Transport approved Draft Notification of 6 Airbags in Indian Cars

6 Airbags will Feature as Standard in Cars from October 2023

In a Landmark series of Tweets by Shri Nitin Gadkari ji where he announced to approve Draft GSR Notification to make 6 Airbags Compulsory in Cars. He Tweeted

• " To minimise the impact of frontal and lateral collisions to the occupants seated in both front and rear compartments, it has been decided that 4 additional airbags be mandated in the M1 vehicle category. i.e two side/side torso airbags and two side curtain/tube airbags covering all outboard passengers. This is a crucial step to make motor vehicles in India safer than ever "

This will act on Improvising Safety Aspect in Indian Cars to next level as 

• ABS EBD now coming as standard
• Dual Airbags now feature as standard (earlier Driver Side Airbag was made standard)
• High Speed Alert system (with beep above 80 Kmph and 120 Kmph)
• Reverse Parking Sensor now coming as standard

and with 6 Airbags offering Side Airbags and Curtain Airbags will mitigate the side impact to protect the life of Front and Rear Seat Passengers in event of Side Crash Impact. 

Although as per Tweet - no specific deadline referred but acorss Media reports - its claimed that desired change will be implemented from October 2023 and Car Prices may get dearer to extent of Rs 20K to 30K for additional 4 Airbags to feature in Cars.

To be Noted that in existing setup even in Jan 2023, we have only

• Hyundai I20 in Hatchback Segment to feature in 6 Airbags in Top of Line Model Variant
• No Compact Sedan Offers 6 Airbags (after Ford exit)
• In Mid Sedan - its Top 2 Variants of Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia, VW Virtus Feature in 6 Airbags - yes 6 Airbags are still not standard in Mid Sedan
• In Compact SUV - only Top of Line Model Variants of Mahindra XUV300, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Brezza feature in 6 Airbags - shockingly not offered in Tata Nexon as option too
• While in Mid SUV again - 6 Airbags are limited to top of Line Model Variants (top 2 Variants) in Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV700, Tata Safari, Jeep Compass even

So adding in 6 Airbags as standard will enhance safety aspect for Car Buyers

Know - Cars with 6 Airbags in India in 2023

What Next in Safety Aspect

"Yeah Dil Maange More"

So, if Government want to deliver safety experience to next level, should ensure

• ESP - which also need to be made standard in Cars 
• Highline Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• DashCam to record Video Footage to detect Car Speed and Incident History
• Assign Safety Ratings to Cars basis Global NCAP / Euro NCAP Safety Crash Test Score and apply higher GST to cars failing in with 3 Star or lesser rating and tax waiver on cars scoring 5 Star Rating

which will make Indian Cars on Safety Front at par with Global Level