NDTV broke the story of Maruti Swift and Datsun Go failing the Global NCAP Crash test, and it soon became the talk of the town. In fact, it also led the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to finally take a concrete stand on the issue. The ministry has made it mandatory for cars to undergo a frontal crash test at 56Km/h from October, 2015.
The figure of 56Km/h is reached upon to comply with Regulation 94 of the vehicle regulation drafted by the UN that outlines the uniform provisions concerning the approval of vehicles with regard to the protection of the occupants in the event of frontal collision. Anything lower is considered a life-risk speed. It should be noted that the base NCAP protocol is of course higher at 64Km/h.
However, Society of Indian Automotive Association (SIAM), the body representing leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India, is rumoured to have demanded the revision of the set crash test speed to 24Km/h, which, we think will be of no use.
Along with frontal crash test at 56Km/h, the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme (BNVSAP) will let manufacturers test their vehicles beyond the necessary safety law. And post these tests, the cars will be given ratings similar to Global NCAP.
Also Read: Crash Tests Mandatory in India From October 2017
During the test, both Maruti Swift and Datsun Go scored zero star rating in the 64Km/h frontal collision test.
