If you are someone who often drives with passengers in your vehicle not wearing a seatbelt, then you can be fined from November 1, in Mumbai. In a significant move, the Mumbai Traffic Police on Friday made it compulsory for all drivers and passengers of motor vehicles to wear seatbelts from November 1. The decision has been taken in view of the amendment to the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act’s Section 194(b)(1), which has mandated that any person driving without a seat belt or carrying passengers not wearing the same shall be liable for punishment.
However, the Mumbai Traffic Police has given time to all vehicle owners who do not have seat-belt facilities for all to install them by October 31. From November 1, all motor vehicle drivers and commuters in such vehicles on Mumbai roads will compulsorily have to wear seatbelts or face punitive action under the laws.
“All motor vehicle drivers and all commuters in vehicles, whoever travels on the roads of Mumbai City are hereby informed that, it will be mandatory for drivers and all passengers to wear seat belts while travelling from 01/1 1/2022. Otherwise, action will be taken under Section 194(B)(1) of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019,” says a statement by the Mumbai Police.
This decision comes after the death of Cyrus Mistry, former Chairman of Tata Group, who died in a road accident in Palghar, Maharashtra on September 4. The accident took place on a bridge over the Surya river when the car that he was in rammed into a divider. Recently, the Union Ministry of Road, Transport and Highway also issued draft rules making the installation of alarm systems mandatory in all seats of cars. As per the proposal, seat belt reminders or alarms will be mandatory in M and N category vehicles, with audio-video warnings in case the seat belts, including the rear ones, are not worn. Besides, there will be a speed alert system to check over-speeding and manual override for the central locking system.
