Government proposes compulsory airbag for front passenger

- Proposition to make front passenger airbag mandatory for vehicles manufactured on or after 1 April 2021

- Existing vehicles to comply with the rule by 1 June 2021

As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on 28 December, all the new motor vehicles manufactured on or after 1 April 2021 shall compulsorily be equipped with airbag for the front passenger as standard. The existing vehicles need to comply with the rules by 1 June 2021.

The issued notification is still in its initial stage of draft rules and shall shape up as binding soon after drawing objections and suggestions. The proposed rule reads as follows, 'Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (9) vehicles manufactured on or after 01st day of April 2021, in case of new models and 01st day of June 2021, in case of existing models, shall be fitted with airbag for the person occupying the front seat other than the driver. The requirement for such airbag shall be as per AIS 145, as amended from time to time, till the corresponding Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications are notified under the BIS Act, 2016.'

Mr. Vinkesh Gulati, President Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said, 'FADA welcomes MoRTH's intention for mandating dual front airbags. This is a much needed safety norm which India should adopt and be at par with global standards. While we appreciate the Government's vision to make driving safer for its citizens, this will definitely increase the price of vehicles. BS6 norms has seen a big price increase, and now this will also come with a price increase. We hope OEMs should absorb the major cost of input due to the second airbag as it will impact the sales in short term which will be bad for an industry which is able to show growth MoM but still lag in YOY after Covid hit us hard.'