Question : Provision of Seat Belt in Cars

(a) whether the Government is considering to make it mandatory for automakers to make three point seat belts for all passangers in a car and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government proposes to issue a draft notification thereof to invite comments of stakeholders and if so, the details thereof; and
(c) whether the Government is considering to make it mandatory to wear helmet/safety harness for all children under the age of four years riding pillion on a two wheeler and if so, the details thereof along with the date by which this rule is likely to be made applicable?

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) and (b) Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, vide GSR 106(E) dated 11th February 2022, has proposed that all front facing seats in vehicles of M1 category (i.e, a motor vehicle used for carriage of passengers, comprising not more than 8 seats, in addition to the driver''s seat), manufactured on and after 1st October 2022, be provided with three point seat belt. Comments and objections have been solicited from all stakeholders within a period of thirty days.
(c) This Ministry, vide GSR 126(E) dated 15th February, 2022, has amended rule 138 of CMVR, 1989 and has prescribed that after one year from the date of publication of the Central Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Rules, 2022, the driver of a motorcycle shall ensure the following safety measures while carrying a child between the age of nine months and four years, on the vehicle as a pillion:-

(i) For children below four years, Safety harness shall be used for attaching the child to the driver of the motorcycle.

(ii) The driver shall ensure that the child pillion passenger aged between nine months and four years must wear his own crash helmet which fits his head or wear bicycle helmet complying with [ASTM 1447]/ [European (CEN) BS EN 1080/BS EN 1078] till such time that the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016).


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