Currently, it is mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to provide seat belt reminders only for front-seat passengers.
Nitin Gadkari said, "Because of the death of Cyrus Mistry in a car accident, we have taken a decision that there will be a seat belt beep system for the rear seats also in vehicles." The Union minister was addressing a Business Standard programme to celebrate India@75.
Nitin Gadkari said this two days after former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident after his car hit a divider in Maharashtra's Palghar district. According to the preliminary report, Cyrus Mistry was not wearing a seat belt. The car hit a road divider on the bridge on the Surya river.
Although not wearing a seat belt by passengers sitting in the rear seats attracts a fine of ₹1,000 under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), most people are either unaware of this mandatory rule or just ignore them. Even traffic policemen seldom fine passengers sitting on rear seats for not wearing seat belts.
A recent road ministry report mentioned that in 2020, the number of persons killed and injured due to not wearing a seat belt stood at 15,146 and 39,102, respectively.
The incident happened at around 2:30 pm when Cyrus Mistry was returning to Mumbai from Ahmedabad. The car was driven by Mumbai-based gynaecologist Anahita Pandole (55). She and her husband Darius Pandole (60) were seriously injured in the accident. Another passenger, Jehangir Pandole, died in the crash.
"As per preliminary investigation, over-speeding and the error of judgement caused the car accident. Both the deceased were not wearing seat belts," the official said.
