3-Point Seat Belt Now Compulsory For Front Passengers In Car: How Will It Work?

The government has made having three-point seat belts for all front-facing passengers in a car mandatory.

First Company To Develop The Belt

Automakers will also have to ensure that the middle seat in the rear row of a car has a three-point seat belt.

Three-point seatbelt was first patented by Volvo in August 1959. 

The carmaker left the patent open due to public safety concerns.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that he signed a file yesterday to make the rule mandatory but didn’t mention when it would take effect.

Indian Cars Fall Short

The cars manufactured in India presently have three-point seat belts in only the front seats and two rear seats.

Only a few premium cars come with three-point seat belts for rear centre seats.

The centre or middle rear seat typically comes equipped with only a two-point or lap seat belt such as the ones in planes.

How A Three-Point Belt Helps

A three-point seat belt offers increased protection in collisions or hard braking compared to two-point belts.

Its specialty is that it comes with a lap seat belt combined with a belt protecting the chest from sudden front movement by better securing the person to the seat.

6 Airbags Made Mandatory

Last month the government made it compulsory for automakers to provide a minimum of six airbags in cars that can carry up to 8 passengers.

The rule is to take effect from October 1st this year.

Gadkari said that around 1.5 lakh people die every year in 5 lakh road accidents in the country.

Therefore it is essential to inform the public of road safety measures and create mass awareness for it.

Other Safety Initiatives On Govt’s Agenda

He said that a system is being proposed which would give vehicles star rating based on the standards and protocol to improve safety.

Other safety initiatives being implemented include:

• Electronic Stability Control
• Advanced Emergency Braking Systems
• Ease of mobility for Divyangjan (or people with disabilities) 
• Driver Drowsiness Attention Warning System (DDAWS)
• Blind Spot Information System
• Advanced Driver Assistance system 
• Lane Departure Warning System

Other matters Gadkari brought up was the need for reducing sound pollution and promoting use of electric vehicles.

He will launch Toyota’s vehicle which runs on green hydrogen on March 15.

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