Stop Sale Of Seat Belt Alarm Blockers: Govt Writes To Amazon

Pic courtesy Your Mechanic

New Delhi: The road accident which led to the death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry near Mumbai on September 4 has put the spotlight on use of seat belts.

Experts are of the opinion that Cyrus and Jahangir Pandole, who died in the accident, would possibly have been saved if they had their seat belts fastened while sitting in the rear.

To eliminate ‘potential safety risks’, the Central government has asked online retail giant Amazon to stop selling devices that disable seat belt alarms, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said.

“Meta clips available on Amazon are inserted in seat belt slots to bypass the alarm that typically keeps pinging when seatbelts are not in use while a car is being driven. People buy these clips to evade wearing seat belts. We have sent a notice to Amazon to stop selling these,” Gadkari said in an interview to Reuters.

Gadkari had said earlier this week that the Centre will ban all kinds of seat belt alarm stoppers in the country. He also announced that seat belts will be mandatory for all passengers in a vehicle, and violators will be penalized.

Also Read: Cyrus Mistry’s Death: Gadkari Slams Car Makers Over Airbags; Know Why

The government will also mandate beepers for rear seat belts, the minister further said.

Though there is a fine of Rs 1,000 not wearing seat belt – front or rear — the rule is rarely enforced.