Transport ministry urges ban on online sale of seat belt alarm blockers

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways ((MoRTH) has urged the consumer affairs ministry to ask e-commerce companies to stop online sale of devices that have been designed to disable car seat belt alarms, a senior government official told PTI. Based on a complaint from MoRTH in May this year, the Central Consumer Protection Authority had sent notices to e-commerce companies selling such devices.

Further, to enhance safety of all passengers in vehicles, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari said that the government is planning to make it mandatory for automakers to introduce a seat belt alarm system for rear seats as well. He highlighted the need for such alarms in rear seats as well in the aftermath of the fatal accident of former Tata Sons chairman.

In the case of Mistry, who was seated in the rear with his friend Jahangir Pandole, the tycoon wasn't wearing a seat belt and must have been thrown in front at great velocity when the speeding car crashed into a divider. Pandole also died in the accident.

Currently, it is mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to provide seat belt reminders for front-seat passengers. Though rear seat passengers not wearing a seat belt attract a fine of ₹1,000 under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), most people are either unaware of it or just ignore it. Traffic police also seldom fine rear seat passengers for not wearing seat belts.

At a summit earlier this week, Gadkari recalled his experience of travelling with chief ministers of four different states in the last one year. All of their drivers had clips installed in the cars that subverted the seat belt alarms in their cars. This, the minister, feels needs to be banned so that these alarms don't go off till all passengers wear seat belts.

As per a report from the Road Ministry, the number of people killed and injured due to not wearing a seat belt in 2020 stood at 15,146 and 39,102, respectively.