Wednesday, 04 January 2023 | PNS | Dehradun
Considering lack of awareness among people about the importance of wearing a seat belt while sittin in the rear of a car, the regional transport office of Dehradun will soon start an awareness campaign across the division. A large number of people are not even aware that it is mandatory for all to use seat belts under the Motor Vehicles Act and the RTO aims to change that this year.The regional transport officer (enforcement) Shailesh Tiwari stated this on Tuesday regarding the RTO’s plan to tackle the limited use of rear seat belt under its division consising of Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri and Uttarkashi districts. He said that many believe using seat belts while seated on the rear seats is not as important as in the driver seat which is a very wrong assumption. He said, “I myself have witnessed a child thrown out of a car’s windshield in a car crash. He was fatally injured which would not have happened if he was wearing a seat belt while on the rear seat. The car companies spent huge amounts on seat belts because they are crucial for the safety of the driver and everyone travelling in it.” He said that using seat belts is important, especially for passengers on rear seats as they are prone to more injuries than the driver due to sudden changes in the vehicle’s momentum. He said that though many have started using seat belts on the rear seats after the death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in a car accident in September last year, a large number of passengers still do not use them either due to their ignorance or unawareness of the use of seat belts. He said that there are provisions for imposing penalties for not wearing seat belt even by passengers on rear seat but the RTO will commence enforcing it after raising enough awareness among locals. Tiwari said, “We do not want to create panic through this campaign but just a genuine concern among people that would make using seat belts a part of their lifestyle. We are sure if people get to know how these belts are not installed in their cars just for show but are meant to save their lives, they would use them.” However he added that RTO would impose penalties in case of consistent violation by passengers.
