Safety first: Auto makers to ensure crash test for cars, but that could hurt your wallet

New Delhi: Most cars sold in India do not undergo a frontal crash test even though cars Indian OEMs sell abroad are crash test compliant. For long, car makers have said there are no testing facilities in India and since it is very expensive to get cars tested abroad, they'd rather do without such tests for models sold in the domestic market. But now, they may not be left with much choice. Because crash tests are being mandatory from next year by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

The Ministry Road Transport and Highways is planning to make frontal offset crash test mandatory for all cars sold in India from next year, when testing facilities of the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP) will be ready. Earlier, car makers were saying such tests will push up vehicle costs but now, they appear to be resigned to getting these done. Toyota Kirloskar Motors is one company which has sold only crash tested cars in India.

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Vikram Kirloskar told CNBC-TV18 that all Toyota's products - even those sold in India - undergo crash tests. SIAM officials told Firstbiz that car makers may voluntarily come forward to get crash tests done as long as testing facilties are made available by the Government in the country. They said since cost escalation would be for all vehicle makers, the prospect does not seem daunting anymore.

Also, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is also keen to establish an Indian version of Global New Car Assessment Programme or NCAP, an agency which provides crash testing for cars and also rates all vehciles on a scale of one to five in safety features.

Ministry officials have earlier said talks are on to establish such an agency in India which will determine safety features for vehicles sold in India based on our road and speed considerations. This might mean even base models of cars may need to mandatorily come fiitted with safety features such as airbgs, anti-lock braking system etc.

Car makers have again pointed out in the past that installing such features on all cars will make these vehicles unaffordable for first time buyers and those upgrading from scooters to four wheelers.Sumit Sawhney of Renault India did not offer comments on crash testing being made mandatory but saiid Government should look at enhancing road safety by also improving road design.