The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is set to roll out a safety assessment rating system for trucks and heavy commercial vehicles, mirroring the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday.
Speaking at an event organized by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) and the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), Gadkari emphasized that the new initiative will push manufacturers to improve vehicle quality and prioritize safety. “The idea is to encourage manufacturers to improve the production quality making vehicles more safe,” he said.
The government is also working on introducing safety standards and an assessment system for battery-operated e-rickshaws, which are currently plagued by several safety concerns. “The safety improvement in e-rickshaws will improve their quality and generate more employment,” Gadkari noted.
The Bharat NCAP, launched in 2023, aims to raise safety standards for vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes by evaluating crash performance and other safety features.
India continues to face an alarming road safety crisis. As per Gadkari, the country records approximately 4.8 lakh road accidents annually, resulting in 1.8 lakh deaths. He reiterated that improving road safety remains a top priority for the government, alongside expanding safe highway networks and boosting the adoption of electric vehicles.
In addition to vehicle safety, the government is taking steps to improve driver welfare. Gadkari revealed plans to introduce legislation that would regulate working hours for truck drivers, who currently operate for 13–14 hours a day — well beyond safe limits. He also shared the government’s target to bring down logistics costs from the current 14–16% to 9% over the next few years, to improve efficiency and economic competitiveness.
