The Government has finally decided to make the speed limits on Indian roads a tad higher. However, that also impresses upon the fact that the safety measures for driving will become stricter in the near future. The more the speed, the chances of having a fatal crash increases. So, it is extremely important for the car to be equipped with the right safety gear to avoid any mishaps, even if there is a crash. Going forward with this strategy, the Government has announced that it will make it mandatory for all cars to have airbags and ABS by 2017. Crash tests will also be made compulsory for all cars before being inducted for sale in the market. This will also mean that a huge number of old cars, which are already on the road, will be scrapped as most of these do not qualify under this aspect.
This will also mean that most of the models, which do not come with any safety features currently, will face a hike in their price. For obvious reasons, all these safety aids come at a significant price. It can be expected that the cost of all cars will be hiked minimum by 50000 INR or 60000 INR. There might be some models, where this protective gear cannot be installed. Those cars will have to be stopped from plying to maintain the standards. The Indian government has acted strictly in this aspect and also suggested some structural modifications for some vehicles to make them safer. It a bit shocking at highly popular models like Maruti Alto K10 and Hyundai Santro would have to be done away with according to these norms. Newer models will be introduced instead, which will abide by the recent safety regulations. Talks are also going on for introducing further safety measures like child, restrain feature and ESC in all cars, however, these have not yet been finalised.
The Government has given all the manufacturers ample time to adjust to the changing norms. To make sure, that these brands do not face a hefty loss, these safety guidelines will be valid only from 2017. As a result, most of the manufacturer will cope with the fact that some of their models will have to be scrapped from the roads altogether. Alternate variants will take their face to counter the loss suffered.
