The last few years has seen a growing demand for safer cars in India. The push comes from both car manufacturers as well as prospective buyers. In fact, starting July 2019, driver side Airbag was made compulsory, followed by co-driver Airbag from Jan this year onwards. And now, as per Nitin Gadkari's latest tweets, all cars that can seat upto 8 people will soon have to provide 6 Airbags as standard.
We welcome this new safety step in 8 seater cars and feel that 6 Airbags will go a long way in saving lives in the event of serious accidents. Mr Gadkari's tweet read, "In order to enhance the safety of the occupants in motor vehicles carrying upto 8 passengers, I have now approved a Draft GSR Notification to make a minimum of 6 Airbags compulsory" - do note GSR here stands for General Safety Rules. He further tweeted, "To minimise the impact of frontal and lateral collisions to the occupants seated in both front and rear compartments, it has been decided that 4 additional airbags be mandated in the M1 vehicle category i.e two side/side torso airbags and two side curtain/tube airbags covering all outboard passengers. This is a crucial step to make motor vehicles in India safer than ever"
Airbags, be it frontal or side, do end up providing a very crucial layer of safety between the occupants and the body shell. The additional four Airbags mentioned above do come handy during side collisions or when the vehicle overturns at higher speeds. Mr Gadkari was appreciated for this new rule on social platforms today. In fact, the Minister has been known for his forward thinking and his efforts have paid off a lot when it comes to road infrastructure and safety.
While this new rule of 6 Airbags will push up the prices for 8 seater cars, we feel its a welcome move. What about you? Let us know through the comments section below. Join our 91Wheels Telegram and 91Wheels Whatsapp group to know more about vehicles, conduct discussions on your favourite ride and much more! Also, you can subscribe to our Youtube channel for video content on the latest from the world of cars and motorcycles.
