Now safety assessment will start soon on the lines of NCAP, making trucks and other heavy vehicles safer
Road Safety: Nitin Gadkari said in a program organized by GNCAP and the Institute of Road Traffic Education, its objective is to encourage manufacturers to improve the quality of production, so that vehicles can become more safe.
To enhance safety, trucks and other commercial heavy vehicles will now also be crash-tested like cars in the nation. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will bring in the safety evaluation ratings for trucks and heavy commercial vehicles. The evaluation will be similar to the nation's very own crash (car collision) test program, Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program).
Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari said in a program organized by the Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), his intention is to urge the producers to raise the standard of production, whereby the cars will become safer. Bharat NCAP was launched in 2023.
Gadkari said India has the highest number of fatal road accidents every year. Every year, around 1.8 lakh people die in about 4.8 lakh road accidents in the country. This figure is worrying.
The government is already working on standards and a safety evaluation system for battery-operated e-rickshaws, as there are safety issues related to them. Safety improvement in e-rickshaws will improve their quality and generate more employment.
The minister said the road ministry is also working on a law to determine the working hours of truck drivers as currently they drive for 13-14 hours a day.
The government is working to reduce logistics costs from 14-16 per cent to 9 per cent in a few years. The priority of the government is road safety, expansion of safe highways, vehicle safety, and promotion of e-vehicles.
