Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that security assessment for ministries and heavy commercial vehicles is planning to introduce ratings.
The evaluation will be on the lines of the country’s own crash (collision of vehicles) testing programs, Bharat NCAP (new car evaluation program). Gadkari, while addressing the program organized by the ‘New Car Assessment Program’ (GNCAP) and the Road Traffic Education Institute (IRTE), said that it aims to encourage manufacturers to improve the quality of production, so that vehicles can become more secure.
The Union Minister said that the government is already working on standards and safety assessment systems for battery-powered e-rickshaws in the country as there are security problems regarding them. He said that safety improvement in e-rickshaws will improve their quality and create more employment.
Gadkari introduced India NCAP in 2023, aimed at improvement of road safety standards of up to 3.5 tonnes. He said that India has the most deadly road accidents every year.
India has 4.8 lakh road accidents every year, resulting in 1.8 lakh people. Gadkari said that the government’s highest priority is to expand road safety, expand safe highways and to promote vehicle safety and electric vehicles (EV).
He said that in the next few years, the government is also working on decreasing the logistic cost from 14-16 percent to nine percent. Gadkari said that the road ministry is also working on a law to determine the working hours of truck drivers as he currently drives 13-14 hours per day.
