Context: Recently, the first round of crash testing for cars under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) was successfully completed.

Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP)

• About: It is a homegrown star-rating system designed for crash testing cars.

oVehicles will be assigned one to five stars, indicating their safety level in the event of a collision.

• Joint Project: It is a collaborative initiative between the Government of India (GoI) and Global NCAP, the regulatory body overseeing safety crash test ratings.
• Objective: To empower consumers with information for informed car purchases, thereby encouraging the demand for safer vehicles.
• Testing Protocols: Cars nominated by manufacturers voluntarily undergo crash testing as per protocols outlined in the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197.
• Applicability Criteria: The program applies to passenger vehicles with up to eight seats (including the driver) and a gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3,500 kg.
• Ratings: Evaluation of vehicles covers three safety domains: adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, and safety assist technologies.
• The AIS-197 standards form the basis for the testing program.
• Unified Rating System: Unlike Global NCAP, Bharat NCAP provides a unified rating, combining Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP) ratings.

Bharat NCAP Authority:

• About: Unlike other countries, India will have a Bharat NCAP Authority overseeing safety ratings.
• The authority hosts safety ratings on a public website.
• Government Involvement: Though voluntary, the central government can request the authority to assess a specific variant "in the interest of public safety" at designated crash test centres.