Penalty to be levied on passengers for not wearing seat belts in the rear, as per Nitin Gadkari
Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, declared on September 6 at a gathering that drivers will be fined for having passengers in the back seats of their vehicles who are not buckled up. The decision was made in response to the recent passing of business magnate Cyrus Mistry in a fatal auto accident while travelling to Mumbai.
According to reports, Mistry was not buckled up while riding in the back seats. If he had buckled up, his life could have been saved. "The minimum fine is Rs 1,000. There are cameras and anywhere people who aren't following can be caught easily," said Gadkari in a strong message.
Despite the fact that violating Rule 138(3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) can result in a punishment of Rs 1,000, most individuals are either unaware of this requirement or choose to disregard it. Even traffic officers seldom cite passengers in the back seats for failing to buckle up.
Gadkari further said "Cost of 1 airbag is 1,000, for 6, it's 6,000. With more production, the cost will be reduced. Cost is not important, people's lives are."
In less than five years, traffic accidents in Maharashtra have resulted in more than 59,000 fatalities and 80,000 serious injuries, according to figures released today by the highway police.
Gadkari said that the government will release a notification in the next three days detailing the penalty involved if a passenger fails to wear a seatbelt. He said, "previously there was a penalty for not wearing a seatbelt for the driver and co-passenger only, but we have updated the law to include rear seat passengers as well."
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