Mandatory 6-airbag rule for passenger cars deferred by a year

Gadkari claimed that the government has to defer the implementation of making 6-bags mandatory in passenger cars due to global supply chain constraints. He bats for the safety of all passengers.

New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the mandatory 6 airbags rule for passenger cars will come into force in October 2023. The road transport ministry had earlier planned to make six airbags mandatory in eight-seater vehicles for enhanced safety of occupants from 1 October 2022.

The government had to defer the implementation of the proposal to make six airbags mandatory in passenger cars by a year due to global supply-chain constraints, Gadkari noted.

Taking to Twitter, Gadkari wrote, "Considering the global supply chain constraints being faced by the auto industry and its impact on the macroeconomic scenario, it has been decided to implement the proposal mandating a minimum of 6 Airbags in Passenger Cars (M-1 Category) w.e.f 01st October 2023."

The road transport minister also asserted that the safety of all passengers traveling in motor vehicles irrespective of their cost and variants is the foremost priority. “Safety of all passengers traveling in motor vehicles irrespective of their cost and variants is the foremost priority," the minister said in a tweet.

Gadkari had earlier emphasized the need to adopt safety norms for cars in the country, stressing that they should also think about the safety of people using small economy cars.

"Majority of automobile manufacturers in India are exporting cars with 6 airbags. But in India, because of the economic model and cost, they are hesitating," he had said.