Soon, all vehicle companies must install in-built collision warning signal

New Delhi: India would soon mandate passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturers to install an in-built 'moving off information system (MOIS)' in certain categories of four-wheelers to significantly reduce the possibility of collision with pedestrians and cyclists in close proximity.

The ministry of road transport and highways has finalised the draft framework in this regard, a senior government official told ET.

The proposed system will inform the driver of the presence of pedestrians and cyclists in the close-proximity and warn him. The ministry aims to reduce the number of road accidents in India to half by 2024. As per official data, 21.4% of all road accidents are due to 'hit from back' collisions, 15.4% by 'hit from side' and 3.1% with parked vehicles. A blind spot is the area or zone on the road outside of the driver's field of vision.

The draft lays out the automotive industry standards for MOIS and will be notified after public consultation. The government is of the view that vehicles moving off at low-speed from rest manoeuvres often get involved in collision with pedestrians and cyclists, resulting in serious consequences for these vulnerable road users (VRUs). In the past, VRU safety was raised by increasing the number of mirrors to provide better visibility of the area in front of the vehicle.

The draft proposes that the activation and deactivation strategy for this collision warning signal may be determined by the manufacturer. However, in case of system failure or sensor contamination, the proximity information signal and collision warning signal shall be deactivated together, it said.