SIAM Organizes 6th Virtual Lecture on “Active & Passive Vehicular Safety Standards”

Participating industry experts emphasised the fact that, improved enforcements, a level playing field, technological advancements and greater awareness are imperative today, for road safety

Mumbai: The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) conducted its 6th lecture, on “Active & Passive Vehicular Safety Standards” yesterday. The lecture focused on Safety Standards for Buses and Commercial Vehicles in the national and global markets.

The lecture also provided a comparative overview of the global markets with regards to Global Safety Standards for Buses and Commercial Vehicles alongside India’s achievements and the way forward in the aforesaid domain.

While the participants recognised the fact that although India as a country have come a long way as far as road safety is concerned, and buses and CVs today do have a large number of safety features, incidences of road fatalities still remain high. The lecture discussed and deliberated on what more safety best-practices can be implemented and the types of technological advancements and interventions that can be initiated, to mitigate this concern. All participants consensually agreed to the fact that India lacks the necessary infrastructure and there is a dearth of awareness amongst consumers as well, when it comes to road safety and safer mobility.

Mr Prashant K Banerjee (Executive Director, SIAM), said, “It is very unfortunate to think of the fact that, every year, a multitude of people dies on our streets. While we at SIAM, takes pride that although today, trucks and buses adhere to safety standards and have advanced features that are at par with their global counterparts, however, there is a dire need for a well-structured enforcement implementation mechanism, initiatives that will work towards promoting a level playing field and a need for greater awareness amongst buyers and consumers. These are indispensable factors for ensuring safer mobility. SIAM has been continuously working towards providing an assertive and stimulating platform for the industry to come together and collectively address concerns that are impacting every citizen.”

The panel comprised of industry veterans, including the likes of Mr Ashim Sharma Partner (Group Head, Business Performance Improvement Consulting NRI Consulting & Solutions India), Mr Ranjit Ballal (GM & Head- VATS Ops), TATA Motors, Mr. P Gowrishankar (GM & Head- Regulations and IB Tata Motors Ltd), Mr Neeraj Shaiv (General Manager VE Commercial Vehicles Limited), Mr D Balakrishnan (General Manager Ashok Leyland Ltd), Mr Ranjit Radhakrishnan (Vice President Volvo Group India Pvt Ltd) and Mr Prashant K Banerjee (Executive Director SIAM).

They shared their valuable insights on the following topics:

· Indian Safety Standards for Buses/ Commercial Vehicles

· Need for Harmonized Regulations across body builders

· Safety Standards: Vehicles carrying hazardous materials

· Global Safety Standards for Buses and Commercial Vehicles

· Industry landscape concerning BS-VI norms, from a lens of policies, regulations, principles, concepts, design, technology, pollution prevention, and climate change.