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Context:

• The Union government recently proposed that all seats in a car, including rear-middle seat, must have a y-shaped seatbelt that is considered safer and typically provided for all window seats.

Concerns:

Lack of awareness

• While the use of rear seatbelts is integral to ensuring safety of all passengers in a vehicle and mandatory under law, lack of awareness and poor enforcement are big impediments.
• But very few know that rear seatbelts are mandatory. According to Rule 138 (3) of Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), persons “seated in the front seat or the persons occupying front-facing rear seats” must wear seatbelts while the vehicle is in motion. Failure to do so can result in a fine of Rs 1,000.

Study

• A study conducted by SaveLIFE Foundation in 2019 found that only 7% said they used rear seatbelts.
• Only 27.7% of the respondents were aware that their use was mandatory under the law.
• Of the parents surveyed who reported that their child sits on the rear seat, 77% reported that they sit without a rear seatbelt.

Significance of the recent move:

• According to the World Health Organisation, use of rear seat-belts can prevent death of a rear seat passenger by 25%, and it can also prevent excess injury or death for the front seat passenger.
• The three-point seat belt have been proven to be safer than the lap belt because it evenly spreads out the energy of a moving body over the chest, shoulders and pelvis at the time of a collision, resulting in fewer injuries.

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