Mandatory seat belts for all passengers postponed again

The drive which was going to start on November 10 has been delayed as the traffic police are facing opposition from several stakeholders in following the directions issued by the State Government.

Mumbai: The drive to enforce mandatory seat belts for all passengers of motor cars, including people sitting in rear seats, has been yet again postponed, however, the traffic police have already started penalising rear passengers for not wearing seatbelts despite the vehicle having the same.

Mumbai Taximen’s union had recently written to the Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic), requesting to extend the time limit to implement the mandate for wearing seatbelts by all motor car passengers up to Dec 31, 2022. (Image for representation)

The drive which was going to start on November 10 has been delayed as the traffic police are facing opposition from several stakeholders in following the directions issued by the State Government.

Raj Tilak Roushan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) said discussions are still going on with the stakeholders and the senior officers about their queries because of which they have “postponed the drive for a short period.”

Mumbai Taximen’s union had recently written to the Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic), requesting to extend the time limit to implement the mandate for wearing seatbelts by all motor car passengers up to Dec 31, 2022.

In the letter, the union leader, AL Quadros stated, “Many taxi operators have removed the seat belts. The seat belts are not available in the market and we have requested the car manufacturers to supply the seat belts, to get the same fitted on the vehicles.”

Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) chairman Nitin Dossa said that the traffic police had no option but to postpone the drive as cars manufactured before 1994 do not have the provision of seatbelts and many do not have the bar in the middle rear seat even today.

“The vintage cars do not have seatbelts at all and all these vehicles should be exempted from the drive. Moreover, the garage mechanics are not the authorised persons to install seat belts. Only the manufacturers are allowed to do that,” he added.

The traffic police, on October 14, issued a notification alerting the vehicle owners that from November 1, they would start penalising passengers by issuing e-challans of ₹200 for not wearing seatbelts if they were caught without wearing seat belts.