'Trucks, CVs to get new safety norms': Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: India will soon put in place safety assessment and rating mechanism for trucks and commercial vehicles on the lines of Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) which is the country's own four-wheel star rating system, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said.

"The idea is to encourage manufacturers to improve the production quality making commercial vehicles more safe," he said while addressing a two-day workshop on vehicle and fleet safety, jointly organised by the New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP ) and Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE).

"The government is already working on standards and a safety assessment system for battery operated e-rickshaws in the country as they suffer from safety issues," he said, adding this will improve their quality and generate more employment.


According to the minister, 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 on road safety, expansion of safe highways and vehicle safety and bolstering electric vehicles," he said.

The minister further said his ministry is also working on a law to determine the working hours for trick drivers. At present they drive for 13-14 hours a day. "As the country is facing a shortage of truck drivers, the government also plans to set up 32 state of the art driving institutes across the country to match high demand for truck drivers," he said, adding air conditioning of driver compartments and Advanced Driver-Assistance system (ADAS) to assist drivers has already been made mandatory.