New Delhi: Now the passenger sitting in the back seat of the car will also be required to wear a seat belt. If they do not do this then they will have to pay a fine, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
Gadkari said that just as the alarm sounds when the passenger sitting in the front of the car does not put on the seat belt, the same system will now be done for the passenger sitting in the back seat. For this, instructions will be given to the car companies. On Monday, former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry died in a road accident. It is being said that he was sitting in the back seat of the Mercedes and he was not wearing a seat belt. Gadkari’s announcement is being linked to Mistry’s death.
Gadkari said, now a fine will be imposed
Gadkari said that it is already mandatory to wear a seat belt on the back seat, but people are not following it, but now a fine will be imposed. He said that taking fines is not the motive but to spread awareness. He said that the target is to reduce road accidents by 50 percent by 2024.
On a question whether installing airbags on the back seat of the car will increase the cost of cars, Gadkari said that saving people’s lives is more important. He said that the cost of an airbag is Rs 1,000. In such a situation, six thousand rupees will be taken for 6. With the increase in production and demand, its cost will gradually come down further.
6 airbags mandatory for 8 passengers
Gadkari said that as per the rules, airbags are mandatory for front passengers and driver in India. By January 2022, the government has made it mandatory for companies to have 6 airbags per passenger car with 8 passengers each.