Medilytix Bureau : The Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways on Wednesday issued draught rules making it mandatory for car makers to install seat belt alarms in all seats of their cars.
As per media reports, seat belt reminders or alarms will be mandatory in M and N category vehicles, with an audio-video warning in case the seat belts, including the rear ones, are not worn.
Besides, there will be a speed alert system to check over-speeding and a manual override for the central locking system.
“Safety-belt reminder” means a system dedicated to alerting the driver when the driver and all other front-facing seat occupants (s) do not use the safety belt. The system is constituted by the detection of an unfastened safety belt and a driver’s alert, which is a first-level warning and a second-level warning.
“First Level Warning” means a visual warning activated when the ignition switch is engaged (engine running or not) and the driver’s and front-facing seat occupants’ safety belt is not fastened. The proposal says an audible warning can be added as an option. “Second Level Warning” means a visual and audible warning activated when a driver operates a vehicle without fastening of the driver and front-facing seat occupants’ safety belts.
According to the draught rules, reverse parking alert systems will be required for M and N category vehicles. “M” category vehicles are the ones with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers, while “N” category vehicles also have four wheels, but are used to carry goods and may also carry passengers.
As per the notification, the last date for public comments on draught rules for three car makers is October 5.
India has been considering enforcing the use of rear seatbelts after Cyrus Mistry, the former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, died in a car crash recently.
He was sitting in the rear seat and did not have his seat belt on, local media reported, citing police officials.
While it is already mandatory for all occupants in a car in India, the world’s fourth-biggest auto market, to wear a seat belt, failing which they can be fined, passengers at the back seldom do so, and enforcement is also lax.