Govt. makes dual airbags mandatory from April 1, 2021

Automakers will be required to equip all existing models with dual airbags from August 31, 2021.

The Government of India has announced that dual airbags will be mandatory for all new vehicles from April 1, 2021. Besides, automakers will be required to equip all existing models with dual airbags from August 31, 2021.

In a gazette notification released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the government has stated that the safety feature has been mandated based on the suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on road safety.

Earlier, the technical committee on vehicle standards had accepted the government's proposal to make passenger side airbags mandatory for all vehicles. The government had later issued a draft notification to amend the automotive industry standard (AIS).

Driver side airbags were made mandatory for all cars from July 1, 2019. All cars are also required to have safety features such as speed alert, reverse parking sensors and seat-belt reminder.