Govt will not make six airbags mandatory for cars: Nitin Gadkari

The government will not make six airbags mandatory for cars, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.

The government last year proposed to implement the six airbags safety norm from October 2023 for enhanced safety of occupants.

"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.