Karnataka makes wearing rear seat belts mandatory, Rs 1,000 fine for violators

The Karnataka government on Wednesday issued a directive mandating commuters to wear rear seat belts while travelling in a car. The State police issued the directive after an order from the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways asking them to raise the penalty from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 if drivers of four-wheelers and co-passengers fail to wear the safety belt. The order will be effective from Wednesday and all the commissionerates and Superintendents of Police in the State were directed to enforce the same.

The Centre issued the order in the backdrop of increasing road accidents in the country. "Section 1948 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1998, mandates the use of safety belts. As per Sub-section 1 of Section - 194 B, 'whoever drives a



motor vehicle without wearing a seat belt or carries passengers not wearing a safety belt shall be punishable with a fine of Rs 1,000," the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways noted in its order.

Earlier, the Mumbai police had issued a similar order making mandatory wearing seatbelts for drivers of four-wheelers and co-passengers. The traffic wing of the city police, in a statement, instructed all motorists and vehicle owners to install seat belt facilities in four-wheelers before November 1 and warned of action against violators. After November 1, all motor vehicle drivers and passengers travelling in four-wheelers on Mumbai roads will have to compulsorily wear seat belts, an official was quoted as saying by the media.