Passengers in rear seats too have to wear seat belts

Violators will be fined ₹1,000; the rule is being enforced under Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act

The Director General and Inspector General of Police Praveen Sood on Tuesday directed all commissionerates and traffic department heads and superintendents of police of all the districts to enforce compulsory wearing of seat belt for all the passengers of motor vehicles with not more than eight seats, with an enhanced fine of ₹1,000.

Quoting a recent order of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (RT 11036/15/2022) dated September 19, 2022, Commissioner of Traffic and Road Safety, R. Hitendra, said as per Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act, whoever drives a motor vehicle without wearing a seat belt or carries passengers not wearing safety belts shall be punished with a fine of ₹1,000.

The MoRTH order was issued following the death of former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry in a high-speed car crash  in Palghar in Maharashtra. Mr. Mistry was in the backseat and wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

The city traffic police, however, said that they have already enforced mandatory seat belts for passengers since the rule was updated in September this year. “We have been slapping a fine of ₹500 for first time violators, and ₹1,000 for repeat offences. However, now first-time offences will also be fined ₹1,000,” a senior city traffic police official said.