OEMs should pursue the best rules

India needs to develop and develop its own security systems optimized for the Indian market, said Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP.

He spoke at an online safety event in the Indian car market. His keynote address, “Raising the Safety Bar of Vehicles,” was presented as part of a two-day safety event during which various speakers from OEMs as well as technical experts spoke about safety trends and shed light on the future.

In his opening remarks, Furas made it clear that India needs to develop cars that are in line with best practices around the world. He stressed the fact that each market has its own scenario and that the development of security systems is a learning process.

He said the urban, long-distance and VRU (vulnerable road users) AEB systems need to be developed and strongly encouraged.

In other remarks, Furas said that as far as regulations are concerned, it is important that OEMs also strive for what is best for their customers in terms of car safety. This was necessary because, as he said in his presentation, some systems for developed markets do face challenges in an emerging economy. He also said that the Indian safety approval and regulatory framework should take into account the UN road safety pillars.

He also shared his views on safety in EV, saying the category faces additional risks due to batteries that risk being damaged by fire. However, in terms of safety, he said EV transmissions greatly simplify the management of high-speed braking and ADAS dynamics.

He also spoke about safety and autonomous management, saying that “waiting for a car without a driver is like hoping for a vaccine to eliminate the fatal epidemic on the road. In a somewhat difficult forecast, he estimated that by 2030 there could be another 21 million road deaths and about 900 million serious injuries.

The program was followed by a panel discussion and technical presentation on ADAS and autonomous vehicles.