It's been a matter of concern for some time now but even as the government and industry bodies waffle over improving safety in passenger cars, Assam has effectively become the first state in the country to ban the sale of small cars that don't meet global safety requirements.

It's been a matter of concern for some time now but even as the government and industry bodies waffle over improving safety in passenger cars, Assam has effectively become the first state in the country to ban the sale of small cars that don't meet global safety requirements.

The ban has come after an interim order from the Gauhati High Court while it was hearing a petition regarding the safety of automobiles in the state.

According to an Economic Times report, a Public Interest Litigation had said that crash tests like the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP), should be applicable to cars sold in the state due to the hilly terrain in the state. The court on 26 June barred the sale of all cars that didn't meet crash test norms, which effectively ended the sale of 140 models.

Transport authorities in Assam have asked car dealers not to sell any vehicle which does not meet the crash-test norms, so some of the most highly sold car models across the country are not being sold in Assam, reported the Business Standard.

Car makers are expectedly unhappy over the development and will have to wait until the next hearing of the PIL on 27 August, but for now are hoping to make their case with the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Assam reportedly records among the highest sale of passenger cars among the north eastern states.

Car makers have blamed the order on the confusion on what crash tests apply in India and have also told ET that the more stringent crash tests would only apply from 2017 when testing facilities are available in India.

But while the automakers have pleaded innocence, the PIL has a valid point. In Assam road deaths, like in every other state in the country, are on the rise. But in the north eastern state, the number of deaths due to road accidents is higher than the national average (however, the statistics don't say how many drivers were killed in collisions):

While global safety agencies may question a car company's safety measures, the standard response from automobile manufacturers till now, has been that the cars produced for the Indian market meet the country's safety standards. This, despite India emerging as the fifth largest producer in the world of passenger cars.

As we'd pointed out earlier, in 2011, cars/jeeps/taxis accounted for 21.3 percent of all road accidents in the country. In 2012, it was 21.6 percent. In 2013, the latest data that is available in the government domain, the percentage of accidents involving light motor vehicles accounted for 22.2 percent. It, however, isn't clear how many drivers were killed due to collisions and insufficient safety features.

As the number of deaths due to car accidents rise, it would seem essential to enforce greater safety norms in the country but car makers have shied away from it so far to keep prices of cars lower. Firstpost columnist Sindhu Bhattacharya had pointed out in a earlier piece how car makers were opposed to the introduction of quadricycles, ironically enough because they felt the new class of vehicles didn't meet safety norms.

She had noted, "Just because of dense traffic conditions in our cities, vehicle makers and regulatory authorities have a ready excuse of not making vehicles compliant with crash tests at higher speeds. Though it is fact that most fatalities on Indian roads involve two wheelers and pedestrians, the number of car accidents has risen too. It is time the government amends crash testing norms and provides adequate testing facilities within India for car makers to upgrade safety norms."

The Gauhati High Court's order, while perhaps a tad too stringent given the absence of domestic regulation on car safety, does show the state and car makers what they should have done already.