Delhi Traffic Police fines 17 people for not wearing seat belt in rear car seats

The Delhi Traffic Police on Wednesday issued 17 fines to people for not wearing seat belts in the rear seats of cars, officials told PTI. The police conducted a drive on the Barakhamba Road near Connaught Place in central Delhi to ensure compliance from 11 am to 1 pm under Section 194B (use of safety belts and the seating of children) of the Motor Vehicles Act, a senior police officer said. The offenders were fined ₹1,000 each.

The traffic police of the national capital conducted the drive after former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry died in a road accident in Maharashtra's Palghar district on September 4 while not wearing a seat belt in the rear of his Mercedes vehicle. "The legal provisions were already there but it has become a topic of discussion after the recent incident," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi Traffic), Aalap Patel.

Moreover, the Delhi Traffic Police is already running a campaign to spread public awareness regarding the significance of wearing seat belts and also taking legal actions where required.

Earlier this month, Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the government is working on making rear seatbelt alarm warning system mandatory. A constant beeping sound will alert the driver and passengers in case someone has not belted up while the car moves.

The minister also talked about road safety in India, besides other measures his ministry plans to increase safety for commuters on Indian roads. A recent report by the Centre revealed that more than 15,000 people lost their lives in accidents because they were not wearing seatbelts at the rear.

Currently, almost every car sold in India comes with seatbelt alarm warnings for the front row occupants. However, the same alarm system is not used in the backseats.

(with inputs from PTI)