Challans For Not Wearing Seat Belt In The Back Coming Soon: Gadkari

Published September 7, 2022
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The Union government will also make it mandatory for cars to have seat belt reminders for rear seats

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government will strictly enforce wearing seatbelts in the rear seat of cars. A notification pertaining to this will be announced in the coming days.

In an interview, the minister also indicated that rear seat belt reminders (SBRs) will be made mandatory for carmakers. This motion comes in the wake of the tragic death of ex-Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in a car accident. According to initial reports, not wearing a seat belt in the rear has been attributed to the businessman’s fatal injuries.

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What does the law say?

It’s already mandatory for all front-facing passengers to wear a safety belt in cars.

“In a motor vehicle, in which seat-belts have been provided… it shall be ensured that the driver, and the person seated in the front seat or the persons occupying front facing rear seats, as the case may be, wear the seat belts while the vehicle is in motion.” - Rule 138 (3) Central Motor Vehicle Rules.

Strict enforcement by the police and the fitment of front seat belt reminders in all new cars has made wearing seat belts in the front fairly common in most towns and cities in India. However, enforcing the use of rear seat belts isn’t as easy since it’s harder for police officers to spot unrestrained rear passengers.

It's relatively easier for cops to check front seat passengers for seat belts

The fine for not wearing a seat belt is currently Rs 1,000 for each unrestrained passenger.

Seat belt reminders in the rear seat

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If you’ve ever travelled shotgun in a car, you’re probably familiar with this simple solution that forces people to wear a seat belt. If a passenger in the front is unbuckled, the seat belt reminder (SBR) plays an annoying, continuous beeping sound as long as the car is in motion over 20kmph.

SBRs have been made mandatory in other countries over the past few years, and it’s a simple solution that may be a more effective way to enforce wearing rear seat belts than a catch-me-if-you-can traffic challan.

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Research consistently shows that wearing a seat belt in the rear is crucial to the safety of not only the passengers in the rear, but also those seated in the front.

That said, while we agree that the safety regulations should be enforced using technologies and law enforcement, infrastructure improvement is also the need of the hour. In a country where cars occupy a small share of all road traffic, it’s important to focus on infrastructure, driver training and commercial vehicle usage to make our roads safer for all users.

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