Top Automotive Blogs

Recently the Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said in Loksabha that the government has made three-point rear seatbelts mandatory for all the cars. With this, it will be mandatory for third-row passengers to use seatbelts while travelling. At present, the car manufacturers are providing seat belts only for front and second seat passengers, as there is no provision of seat belts for the passengers of the third row.

 

 

A Big Question? According to the Honourable Minister, it will help in controlling the number of deaths in road accidents. Well, this announcement is an appreciative step by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, but will it be relevant. Because in India, there is a huge segment of joint families with a single car in which the whole family travels. The number of members in such families is normally between 10 and 15. As most of the cars with three seats have a seating capacity to accommodate eight passengers, wearing seatbelts for the remaining passengers is almost impossible.

 

Moving ahead, as most families are middle-class it is not possible for them to buy a second car or to rent a car for travelling together. Even if they buy another car for safe travelling, will the government offer them any type of financial assistance in form of a rebate in income tax, road tax, paying EMI’s etc? Because, buying another car will directly impact their monthly budget, and travelling without wearing a seatbelt will make them eligible for paying the penalty.

 

Here, it would be important to mention that there are lots of people who believe that the presence of airbags will protect them during a crash. This although is true airbags are configured in such a way that they protect the life of passengers wearing seatbelts. Therefore, those who think that the presence of airbags is enough to protect their lives need to change their perspective.