The CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) has taken action against top e-commerce platforms in India for violating the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Alarm does not activate when seat belt is off
According to the official statement, the clips compromise the life and safety of consumers by stopping the alarm beep when the seat belts are not worn.
As a result 13,118 listings of car seat belt alarm stopper clips were delisted from e-commerce platforms as they were found to compromise with the lives of car passengers
Under the scanner
CCPA has issued orders against top five e-commerce platforms for selling car seat belt alarm stopper clips which were found to compromise life and safety of consumers by stopping alarm beep when not wearing seat belts.
Headed by Chief Commissioner, Nidhi Khare, CCPA passed orders against Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Meesho for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practice.
Blatant sale with no checks and balance
The whole matter came under notice of CCPA by the Department of Consumer Affairs through the letter of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
The letter highlighted the issue of blatant sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and requested for action on errant vendors / online platforms and issuance of an advisory
Potential danger
The stopper clips disable the alarm beep that reminds drivers to wear their seat belts, potentially compromising passenger safety
Further, Rule 138 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 makes it mandatory to wear seat belts.
However, online sales of such items that play with passengers’ safety by stopping the alarm beep when not wearing seat belts can be unsafe and dangerous
Delisted sales from each e-commerce site
The action taken in the present cases assumes significance given that as per the latest report published by the MoRTH more than 16,000 persons were killed in road accidents in 2021 due to not wearing seat belt, of which 8,438 were drivers and the remaining 7,959 were passengers. Moreover, approximately 39,231 persons were injured out of which 16,416 were drivers and 22,818 were passengers.
The report further provides that young adults in the age group of 18-45 accounted for more than one-third of victims in road accident cases.
According to the authority, these platforms have already removed 13,118 automobile seat belt alarm stopper clips from sales.
Amazon has delisted 8,095 such clips, Flipkart has delisted 4,000-5,000, Meesho 21, while Snapdeal and Shopclues have each delisted one, the statement read.
Monetary penalty
Online purchases of such devices that endanger passengers’ safety by failing to turn on the alert sound while they are not wearing seat belts might be hazardous to customers’ lives and safety.
The penalty for not wearing a seat belt is Rs. 1,000.
Concerning figures
According to a recent survey from MoRTH, more than 16,000 people died in road accidents owing by not wearing seat belts in 2021, with 8,438 of them being drivers and the remainder 7,959 being passengers.
Furthermore, 39,231 people were hurt, with 16,416 of them being drivers and 22,818 being passengers.
Young individuals aged 18 to 45 account for more than one-third of all road accident victims, the survey revealed.
