Union minister Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday announced that wearing seat belts would be made compulsory for all passengers in a car, also the passengers those on the rear seats, and anyone breaking the rule will be subject to penalties. The declaration was made only two days later the former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry unfortunately lost his life in a car accident near Mumbai, and a police probe later found out and disclosed that he was not wearing a seat belt.
Gadkari through his twitter handle made the declaration by sharing a video of him speaking at an event. He additionally mentioned that the safety alarms that typically beep when those on the front seats do not wear the seat belts, it will now work in the same way for rear seat passengers as well. The Union minister further made it clear that the new rule will be applicable to all kinds of cars – small and big.
The Union minister further added that a fine is already placed for those not wearing the seat belts while on the front seats. However, the new rule states that the passengers who are sitting on the rear (backside) seats in a vehicle will also be required to wear the seat belts failing which they will be imposed by a penalty.
Gadkari, in the video, informed that the amount to be charged as penalty from those breaking the new rule will be mentioned in a notification in a few upcoming days.
The accident mentioned above occurred when Mistry was returning from the Parsi pilgrimage of Udvada in Gujarat, with Dr Anahita Pundole, her husband Darius Pundole, and brother-in-law Jehangir Pandole. The car was at high speed and subsequently crashed into a concrete road at the divider of Charoti bridge over the Surya river in Palghar on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Both Mistry and Jehangir died on the spot, while Anahita and Darius were severely injured.
