Wearing Seat Belt Will Be Mandatory For All Car Passengers: Nitin Gadkari

Two days after Cyrus Mistry, the former Tata Sons chairman, was killed in a road accident, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that 'wearing a seat belt will now be mandatory for all the people sitting in the car.'

"After the death of Cyrus Mistry, today the government has taken a big decision for the safety of the backseat passengers. A seat belt is required for the back seat," he added.

Addressing a media event, he said, "We have taken a decision that there will be a seat belt beep system for the rear seats also in vehicles."

Mistry was killed in a road accident after his car hit a divider in Maharashtra's Palghar district.

According to the preliminary report, Mistry was not wearing a seat belt. The car hit a road divider on the bridge on the Surya river.

Although not wearing a seat belt by passengers sitting in the rear seats 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 just ignore them.

Even traffic policemen seldom fine passengers sitting on rear seats for not wearing seat belts.

A recent Road Ministry report mentioned that in 2020, the number of persons killed and injured due to not wearing a seat belt stood at 15,146 and 39,102, respectively.

Gadkari also underlined that defaulters and violators of this rule would be punished with a fine.

"Challan (punitive fine) for not having a seat belt will be allowed. The order will be implemented within three days," Gadkari said.

Mistry and three others were travelling from Gujarat to Maharashtra, and the accident occurred in the Palghar district.

Cyrus Mistry and Jahangir Pandole died on the spot, whereas the other two passengers, namely, Anahita Pandole and Darius Pandole, suffered injuries and were rushed to a hospital.

Anahita Pandole was driving the car, the police confirmed.

The impact of the collision was severe. Police said that the airbags in the front seats were deployed, but the ones on the rear seats did not pop out.

Also Read: 426 Lives Lost Per Day In Road Mishaps: NCRB