What does the NCAP Safety rating mean for you?
· CAE – Simulation in Automotive Engineering · Product Design – Engineering for Innovation
What NCAP stands for
NCAP stands for "New Car Assessment Program". It was started by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1979 to promote consumer awareness of the safety of various automobiles and so encourage manufacturers to build safer cars. NCAP went on to standardize vehicle safety testing protocols, and the very first crash test was the 35mph front collision test.
NCAP in India
Other countries later took up similar programs for their domestic markets. In 2017, India decided to implement its own, the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP). It follows protocols similar to Euro NCAP and has been administered by the ARAI from 2017 onwards.
Under this initiative, the government has made it mandatory to test:
- Frontal offset impact
- Side impact
- Pedestrian safety
- Rear impact
- Child dummy dynamic crash testing
Why it matters to you
This matters a great deal in India because we have many more road fatalities than Europe. The number of fatal road accidents in India is almost five times the figure in the EU, and this can be tackled in part by ensuring passive and active safety in cars.
As a new car buyer, the rating helps you evaluate the safety your car provides. It also lets you compare the cars sold in India with the same variants sold in other countries. In a price-sensitive market like India, BNVSAP lets customers make much more informed decisions. After all, human life is priceless. Should we compromise the lives of ourselves and our family for a couple of thousands?