Seatbelts are absolutely essential to enhance safety when on the move. And this is not just for those at the front but rear-seat passengers as well.
Following the unfortunate passing of former Tata Motors Chairman Cyrus Mistry, attention is firmly focused on the use of seatbelts in vehicles travelling on Indian roads, particularly for passengers in the back seats. According to the preliminary inquiry into the collision, Mistry was not wearing a seatbelt while he was sat in the back of the Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV. According to police officials, his companion passenger Jehangir Pandole, who also perished in the tragic tragedy, was not wearing a seatbelt.
The unfortunate tragedy has brought up a very important issue regarding understanding of and adherence to in-car safety procedures. The biggest – and frequently first – layer of protection for passengers in the event of a car accident is a seatbelt, which is why it is required by law that all passengers wear them. People “sitting in the front seat or the passengers occupying front facing rear seats” must wear seatbelts, according to Rule 138(3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR).
Although seat belt laws are typically strictly enforced for those in the front seats, this is not always the case for those in the back who are not wearing seatbelts. Wearing rear seatbelts has been demonstrated in numerous studies to either avoid harm or at the very least reduce the severity of a crash, both in India and around the world. WHO claims that rear seatbelts can even reduce mortality by 25%.
But obstacles include things like awareness, compliance, and even enforcement. When requested to buckle up, passengers in the back frequently opine that there is some resistance. Most people aren’t even aware that it’s required by law, much less that it has safety advantages.
Thus, even while the use of rear seatbelts is still crucial, there has been discussion of airbags and radar-based accident prevention systems in light of Cyrus Mistry’s passing.
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