The Indian government has requested Amazon to stop selling devices that are designed to turn off car seatbelt alerts. The transport minister Nitin Gadkari is rolling out new rules and measures related to road safety following the recent death of ex-Tata Chairman, Cyrus Mistry in a car crash.
Gadkari has asked the e-commerce site to put the sale of devices like metal clips which are inserted in seatbelts to turn off the seat belt on hold. Cars these days come with an alarm that keeps beeping till you wear your seat belt. People who don’t like the sound often buy devices to block the noise.
In-depth details about the why Govt asks Amazon to stop selling seatbelt alarm blockers?
In an interview with Reuters, Gadkari said, “People buy clips from Amazon to avoid wearing seatbelts. We have sent a notice to Amazon to stop (selling these).”
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2021 report, there were 1,55,622 fatalities, which is a record high since 2014, and 69,240 of those deaths were related to two-wheelers. The annual report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (21-22) also ranked India first in road deaths across 199 countries reported in the World Road Statistics, 2018.
The incident also shed light on the car safety features which are available for cars retailing in India. While there are seat belts and airbags present in the front row, no seat belt or airbag safety is provided in the back seats. This further risks the chances of a fatality for passengers sitting at the back.
The question is whether people will wear rear seat belts or not. In a country like India, people only follow rules if they are imposed with fines. Even wearing a seatbelt in the driving seat is not followed unless there’s a fine of Rs 1,000.
