Passengers not wearing seat belts on rear seat to attract penalty

New-Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday announced wearing seat belts is made compulsory for the passengers on the rear seat.

The decision came after former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry passed away in a road accident on September 4 on the National Highway in Palghar district of Maharashtra.

The government is also planning to make mandatory for the car manufacturer to introduce a seat belt alarm system for rear seats also. We will issue a draft notification in 3-4 days, Gadkari informed while addressing a programme.

Under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Vehicle Rules, passengers sitting in the rear seats will attract a fine of Rs 1000 if they are seen not wearing seat belts.

As per the regulations, airbags are mandatory for the front passenger and the driver in India. As of January 2022, the government has made it mandatory to install 6 airbags in each passenger car with a passenger limit of up to 8.

According to the report titled ‘Road accidents in India – 2020’, more than 11 per cent of deaths and injuries were caused due to non-usage of seat belts, while 30.1 per cent of deaths and 26 per cent of injuries were caused due to non-usage of helmets in 2020.

The Minister also suggested a solution to the rising levels of sound pollution, “We can reduce sound pollution, my idea is to replace the sound of car horns with sound from Indian instruments.”