New airbag rule: What it means for automobile customers

Airbags: Saving lives

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently has taken forward his proposal of making six airbags mandatory for all eight-seater vehicles.

Gadkari had recently passed a draft proposal stating that all four-wheelers that can carry up to eight passengers will need to have six airbags as mandatory.

The move puts the onus of road safety onto the car makers, as India continues to record the highest number of road fatalities year after year, with the total tally from 2005 to 2019, exceeding 2 million fatalities.

In 2020 alone, according to Gadkari, nearly 48,000 individuals were killed on highways and expressways. While most manufacturers have lauded the proposal, some, like Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava, have criticised it, stating that “policymakers need to think in terms consumer” and that the additional costs could make cars so expensive “the masses could not afford them”.

It’s precisely those masses that the proposal aims to protect. However, the implementation of the policy could take some time, given that it’s only now that the mandatory dual airbag rule has been implemented with all cars manufactured after April 2021 mandated to carry two airbags.

However, Gadkari wants to ensure that the passengers at the rear also benefit from multiple airbag deployment in the event of an accident, and so a grand total of six airbags has been decided upon.

How will this add to the cost?

The addition of a single frontal airbag can add between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, depending on the model, while a side curtain airbag can cost double of that. The addition of four additional airbags to cars already equipped with dual airbags drive up the prices by Rs 30,000- Rs 50,000.

While the inclusion of side torso and curtain airbags will undoubtedly improve the safety rating of cars in the budget segment, it would also undoubtedly increase the purchasing cost of the car. Particularly because there are also re-engineering costs to be considered. Along with that there’s a hike in prices that cars are likely to see because of new, stricter emission norms to be introduced within the next year.

Entry-level carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Nissan, Renault do not have a single model with six airbags as optional extras. For Hyundai, entry-level models like the Santro, i10 Grand also only feature dual airbags.

The road fatality risk for two wheeler users is twenty times higher than it is for four wheeler users

Airbags have, time and again, proven to mitigate damage to the body during a crash, when combined with seat belt usage. According to research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, “side airbags that protect the head reduce a car driver’s risk of death in driver side-crashes by 37 per cent and an SUV driver’s risk by 52 percent”.

However, a large portion of road fatalities in India take place on two-wheelers. Addressing the airbag issue while ignoring these matters isn’t likely to change India’s status as the leader in road fatalities particularly when the rise in purchasing costs may further deter buyers from considering four-wheelers, and have them opt for two-wheelers instead.

According to a report filed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in 2020, 37 percent deaths due to road accidents occurred for two-wheeler riders. The road fatality risk for two-wheeler users is twenty times higher than it is for four-wheeler users, with six two-wheeler riders dying every hour in India.

While correct helmet use can reduce the percentage of fatalities by 42 percent, easy acquisition of a driving licence, a patchwork public transport system and terrible road conditions are all to blame in driving-up the statistics that make India the world’s most unsafe driving destination.

How many cars sell six airbags as standard?

Six airbags come purely as optional extras at this point, primarily in cars that cost over Rs 15 lakh. The Mahindra XUV700 AX7 variant equipped with side airbags costs Rs 18.63 lakh (ex-showroom) while the entry-level variant starts at Rs 12.95 lakh. Other models like the Hyundai Creta, Jeep Compass, Honda City, Tata Harrier also offer 6 airbags as optional, but once again, across top variants only.

Statistically, airbags have done far more good than they have harm

Although whiplash injuries caused by airbag deployment aren’t uncommon, they’re made much worse when the occupant is not wearing a seat belt. The combined usage of the two, statistically, had led to saving lives. Even in the instance that an airbag causes structural damage to the face, its use as a restraining device keeping the driver from flying out, ensures that a fatality is avoided. Airbags also distribute the crash force more evenly across the occupant’s body, limiting damage. Statistically, airbags have done far more good than they have harm.

What are international regulations like?

While there are very few laws mandating the use of multiple airbags in cars, most manufacturers in countries like the US, UK and Germany provide an additional number of airbags so that the safety rating of their car remains high. In the UK, for example, there is no specific legal requirement for cars to have even a single airbag. However, all manufacturers sell vehicles with at least a front passenger airbag.

In the US, a law passed in 1998 mandated that all cars and light trucks offer airbag protection on both sides of the driver. Japan also makes it mandatory for carmakers to install a driver airbag. Countries like Germany, France and Australia also do not legally mandate the installation of even a driver airbag, however, you’d be hard pressed to find a car without one.