The South African government has published draft regulations that would require all new passenger vehicles sold in the country to be equipped with crash bags for occupants other than the driver, alongside anti-lock braking systems and electronic stability control – but has fallen short on being specific about those.
The proposals, contained in Government Gazette notice GoN 7686 dated July 10, 2026, represent a substantive revision to the compulsory safety specifications governing new vehicle sales.
While the draft does not explicitly mandate side or curtain crash bags, the wording requiring protection for “all occupants other than the driver” suggests that manufacturers would need to extend coverage beyond the current industry standard of frontal bags alone.
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In addition to the crash bag requirement, the proposed rules set a prescribed minimum level of occupant protection in side-impact collisions. The draft stops short of specifying which technologies must be employed to achieve this standard, leaving manufacturers some latitude in how they meet the performance benchmark. However, the simultaneous push to make ABS and electronic stability control compulsory indicates a broader shift toward active safety systems as well as passive ones.
The public comment period on the draft specification remains open until September 10, 2026, with the government targeting February 2029 as the proposed date for adoption. Similar amendments have been tabled for light commercial vehicles, including bakkies, which means the changes would extend beyond the passenger-car segment.
At present, every conventional passenger model available in the South African market is fitted with frontal crash bags, but side and curtain bags remain absent from a number of entry-level offerings. Among light commercial vehicles, the picture is more concerning, with several models – including the Mahindra Bolero, Ashok Leyland Dost, Foton Truckmate and Hyundai H100 – currently sold without any crash bag protection at all.
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The Automobile Association has expressed support for the amendments, describing them as a step towards improved safety ratings and greater alignment with international markets that have long enforced similar standards. In a statement, the AA said it trusted that public submissions would receive due consideration and looked forward to the finalisation of legislation that would hold local manufacturers and distributors accountable for meeting the requirements.
The association noted that side-impact vulnerability had been a recurring theme in its Safer Cars for Africa campaign, under which several South African-specification vehicles have undergone crash testing in partnership with Global NCAP.
Colin Windell for Colin-on-Cars in association with
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