The unfortunate death of Cyrus Mistry has sparked a new debate in India. The role of rear seat belts as the first line of protection for passengers caught in road accidents. Here are 5 things you might not know about wearing seat belts in the backseat of a car.
Brut journalist Labanya Maitra explains.
Brut journalist Labanya Maitra explains.
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00:00Is wearing seatbelts in the backseat of a car mandatory?
00:03Yes!
00:04Here are 5 things you might not know.
00:06According to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, people sitting in the front seats or front-facing
00:12rear seats must wear seatbelts when the vehicle is in motion.
00:16This was notified in 2004 and came into effect in 2005.
00:21The World Health Organization said that wearing seatbelts at the back can prevent rear passenger
00:26deaths by 25% and also reduce severe injury or death of the passenger sitting in front
00:33of them.
00:34A recent survey in Mumbai showed that more than 98% people did not use rear seatbelts
00:40and this was largely because they didn't know it was mandatory to wear it.
00:44Although there was a Rs. 1000 fine for not wearing rear seatbelts, a 2017 study showed
00:49that not enough legal enforcement was one of the main reasons that people didn't strap
00:54in at the back.
00:55While police across metro cities have had multiple drives to make people comply with
01:00this law, especially after the death of Union Minister Gopinath Munde, it fizzled out as
01:06soon as the drives ended.
01:07All car manufacturers must provide seatbelts in the rear.
01:11Earlier, they had the option to provide a 3-point Y-shaped seatbelt or a waist strap
01:17for the backseat.
01:18But the government has now proposed that the Y-shaped belt be provided for all passengers,
01:25even the middle seat.