NEW DELHI: All cars manufactured from April 1, 2025 onwards, will have to provide “rear seat belt alarm”, as per a
draft notification
issued by the
road transport ministry
. This comes months after a similar proposed
mandatory rule
had lapsed along with the mandatory six airbags and 3-point seatbelt.
TOI on Nov 7 last year had first reported how the key notification for
vehicle safety
had lapsed.
The draft notification for introduction of this crucial
safety feature
, aimed at nudging rear-seat passengers to wear seatbelts, has been put in
public domain
seeking feedback. “The notification is only for rear seatbelt alarm and there is no other new provision,” said an official.
Earlier, the ministry had issued a draft notification for
rear seat belt alarm
along with two other mandatory safety features — three-point rear seat belt and six airbags — after former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry’s death. Investigators found that he was not wearing a seatbelt when his car met with a crash. Since the proposal of mandatory fitment of six airbags could not go through, the entire notification had lapsed.
Currently, the in-built seatbelt reminder is mandatory for driver and passenger on the front seat. Despite the
Motor Vehicle Act
specifying that rear seat passengers not wearing a seatbelt will attract a fine of Rs 1,000, most people are either unaware of this or ignore it. There are also rare instances of traffic police personnel penalising rear seat passengers not complying with this rule.
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