South Africa is considering tougher minimum safety standards for new vehicles, including cars and bakkies. Proposed requirements include the fitment of airbags, side-impact protection, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), and electronic stability control.
The proposal aims to raise baseline crash and loss-of-control protection across new models sold in the country. As reported by IOL, the changes are framed as updates to minimum vehicle safety rules rather than regulations affecting vehicles already on the road. The extent of how and when the standards would apply, and the precise compliance timelines, are not detailed in the available source excerpt.
Across outlets, the core agreement is that the government is moving to strengthen minimum safety features for new vehicles, focusing on commonly mandated technologies such as airbags, side-impact measures, ABS, and stability control.
