New Delhi: Following the untimely death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in a car crash Sunday, the central government has decided to fine passengers who do not wear seat belts in the rear seat.
“Already, it’s mandatory to wear a seat belt at the rear seat but people are not following it. There will be a siren (or beeper that will go off in the vehicle) if the people at the rear seat don’t wear belts like in the front seats. And if they don’t wear belts, there will be a fine,” Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said in an interview.
At present there is a penalty for the driver and the co-passenger for not wearing a seat belt, but this rule has been updated to include rear seat passengers as well, Gadkari also said at an event Tuesday.
The minister feels enforcing a fine would increase awareness among people as the government aims to reduce road fatalities by 50 percent in the next two years. “At any cost, lives have to be saved,” Gadkari said, adding that the minimum fine for the offence would be Rs 1,000.
Cyrus Mistry died Sunday in a tragic road accident in Maharashtra’s Palghar district when the Mercedes he was travelling in crashed into a divider. Mistry was sitting in the rear seat and not wearing a belt.
The minister said the government would release an official notification in the coming days detailing the penalty to be enforced on passengers for not wearing a seat belt.
The Centre has regularly taken measures to enhance the safety of passengers and now intends to make it mandatory for carmakers to provide a minimum of six airbags in motor vehicles that carry up to 8 passengers.
Gadkari was asked if the compulsory installation of airbags in the rear would drive up costs. “Cost of 1 airbag is 1,000, for 6, it’s 6,000. With more production, the cost will be reduced. Cost is not important, people’s lives are,” he said.
The Centre is also in talks with car manufacturers to include a beeper that will go off if the rear seat passenger is not wearing a seat belt.
Although not wearing a seat belt in the rear attracts a fine of Rs 1,000 under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), most people are either unaware of this mandatory rule or ignore it.
Even the traffic police seldom fine passengers for not wearing seat belts in the rear.
According to a recent road ministry report, the number of persons killed and injured from not wearing a seat belt in 2020 was 15,146 and 39,102 respectively.
With inputs from PTI
Also read: Mistry’s death shows the importance of airbags. But they are pointless without seat belts