Seatbelts will be mandatory for all the people sitting in the backseat of a car from November 1 in Mumbai, as per a notification issued by the Mumbai Police on Friday.
“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 November 1,” the Mumbai Police said in a statement.
Mumbai Police has directed all the cars, which do not have seatbelts facilities for backseat riders, to get one by November 1.
Those found in violation of the rule will be liable for punishment under the relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.
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The announcement comes a month after Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that seatbelts would be mandatory for all passengers in a car.
Gadkari's announcement came in the aftermath of the death of the former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry, who was killed in a car accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway in September.
Mistry was seated in the rear seat when the SUV he was travelling in, a Mercedes Benz GLC, hit the railing of a bridge in the Palghar district. Police said Mistry didn’t seem to have had his seat belts on. Following his death, experts and critics pointed out the need to wear seatbelts even if one is seated in the back.
