In a major U-turn, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday, said that the government will not make six airbags "compulsory" in cars. Earlier in October last year, the minister had said that the government would make it mandatory to include six airbags rule for passenger cars.
In fact, on several occasions, Gadkari advocated for the induction of six airbags in cars citing thousands of people are being killed in road accidents because of inadequate safety measures in the four-wheelers.
"We don't want to make six airbags rule for cars mandatory," Gadkari said at an event in New Delhi.
Last year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in a statement said that in order to enhance the safety of occupants of a motor vehicle, it has been decided to enhance safety features by amending the Central Motors Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989.
Airbags for both front seats are mandatory in vehicles manufactured on and after April 1, 2021. An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system which interferes between the driver and the vehicle's dashboard during a collision, thereby preventing serious injuries.