The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is planning to launch safety assessment rating for trucks and heavy commercial vehicles on the lines of Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), the country’s own crash testing programme, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
Addressing an event organised by the New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), Gadkari said the idea is to encourage manufacturers to improve the production quality, making vehicles safer.
The road transport and highways minister further said the government is already working on standards and safety assessment system for battery-operated e-rickshaw’s in the country as they suffer from safety issues.
The safety improvement in e-rickshaws will improve their quality and generate more employment, he added.
In 2023, Gadkari launched the Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), which is aimed at improving the road safety standards of motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
He said India accounts for the highest number of fatal road accidents with 4.8 lakh road crashes each year resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths.
The government’s top priority is road safety, expansion of safe highways and vehicle safety and bolstering electric vehicles, Gadkari added.
He said the government is also working on reducing logistics cost to 9 per cent in the next couple of years from the present 14-16 per cent.
Gadkari also said the road ministry is also working on a law to determine the working hours for truck drivers as they drive 13-14 hours a day at present.
