The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has extended the deadline for carmakers for mandatory installation of the front passenger-side airbag in existing models from the earlier cut-off of 31st August to 31st December 2021. The deadline has been extended by four months because of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic.
For new models, the rule has already been implemented from 1st April 2021. For existing models, only the driver-side airbag is mandatory at present, along with several other safety features like ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, seat belt reminder, and a speed alert system. The mandate rule for dual-airbags is based on the suggestions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety.
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As of now, most of the cars available in the Indian market already comes with dual-front airbags as a standard feature across their variant line-up. However, some budget model cars like Datsun Redi-GO, Hyundai Santro, Renault Kwid, Maruti Alto, S-Presso, Eeco, Celerio, WagonR, and Mahindra Bolero only offer driver-side airbags as standard. However, in some variants of these cars, the passenger-side airbag is provided as an option.
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With co-passenger airbags becoming mandatory, the pricing of such cars could get costlier by Rs 5,000-10,000. Though they will surely put some extra load on your pocket, they will provide an added degree of protection in the case of a misfortune.
