Indian Governemnet pannel recommends BNCAP crash rating should be included to improve car connectivity
An Indian government panel has recommended that automakers that enhance connectivity features in their cars to communicate with other vehicles and external systems should achieve better ratings in Bharat NCAP crash tests. A news agency has given this information. The panel has reportedly come up with a draft report that aims to boost road safety as well as offer a technical blueprint for connected cars in India. The report claims that the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways will decide the next step on this.
Bhavika Nandwana 
The government panel's proposal mirrors steps being taken by the US, China and several other countries in Europe. The panel has reportedly proposed integration of V2X technology in cars to reduce the risk of accidents and traffic congestion. The report claims that with V2X technology, connected cars will be able to communicate with other vehicles as well as other connected systems on the road, including traffic lights.
The report claims that the 58-page draft proposal states that most of the traffic problems in India are caused by non-line-of-sight scenarios. "Most sensors do not work well in these scenarios and V2X fills this gap," the proposal reportedly says, referring to connected car technology. The panel reportedly wants V2X technology to be considered for inclusion in India's Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) for car safety ratings. The move is in line with developments abroad. However, the panel has not set any deadline for adopting its recommendations.
India is known to be a country where the number of road accidents is alarmingly high, causing lakhs of deaths and serious injuries to many people every year. If the proposal by a government panel is implemented, it could force automakers to equip connected cars with technology that uses airwaves to send warnings to drivers and communicate with other road systems.
At present, the India NCAP does not mandate features to be included by car manufacturers, instead, it provides star ratings based on collision impact. However, if the government panel's proposals are considered, we can see that the government may force automakers to equip their connected cars with some advanced features.
Currently, few cars on Indian roads feature forward collision warning and emergency braking technology. However, most of these cars use sensors that can be triggered by proximity. V2X is a more advanced and connected form of this warning technology, as it relies on a dedicated network to issue warnings several kilometers in advance, enabling the driver to be alerted earlier.
