Seat belts mandatory for car drivers, passengers in Mumbai: Check details

Mumbai, Oct 14: Not wearing seat belts in the back seats of cars will attract penalties in Mumbai now.

"Whoever drives a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt or carries passengers not wearing seat belts shall be punishable," said Mumbai police in a statement.

"As per Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, under section 194(b)1, whoever drives a motor vehicle without wearing a safety belt or carries passengers not wearing seat belts shall be punishable., the statement said.

Accordingly, to install seat belt facilities in Motor Vehicles which do not have seat belt facilities for all commuters, the period is being given till date 1/11/2022," the statement added.

"Therefore, all motor vehicle drivers and all commuters in vehicles, whoever travels on roads of Mumbai city are hereby informed that it will be mandatory for drivers and all passengers to wear seat belt while traveling from 1/11/2022. Otherwise, action will be taken under section 194(b)1 of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019," it added.

Seatbelt laws in India

The central government has made it mandatory for automakers to provide three-point seat belts for all front-facing passengers in a car. According to the Motor Vehicle Act, wherever seat belts are provided, "it shall be ensured that the driver, and the person seated in the front seat or the persons occupying front facing rear seats, as the case may be, wear the seat belts while the vehicle is in motion".

However, in India, passengers generally do not wear seatbelts, not realising that this basic safety measure can turn out to be a lifesaver in case of an accident.