The story so far: On June 24, Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari approved a Draft GSR Notification seeking comments from varied stakeholders on a proposal to introduce the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP). The system would entail giving vehicles a star rating based on their performance in crash tests.
The voluntary programme aligns existing test regulations at home with global crash testing protocols. They are intended to increase the export-worthiness of vehicles and competition on safety parameters among manufacturers, as well as to instil consumer confidence in a vehicle’s safety. BNCAP would be the Indian adaptation of the Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP) that serves as a globally-followed paradigm to ascertain the safety of a vehicle in the event of a crash.
