KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Rear seat belt reminders are mandatory for all cars from April 2025
- Front seat belt alarms are already compulsory
- Read all the details below
Ministry of Road Transport has issued a fresh notification draft mandating rear seat belt reminders in all cars manufactured from April 1, 2025, onwards. This is another upgrade to the list of measures being undertaken to make road journeys safer in case of any mishaps. Let's dive deep into the details while you join our 91Wheels WhatsApp Group community of petrolheads for the latest automotive updates.
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Seat Belt Reminders Mandatory From April Next Year
The latest mandate is a follow-up in a series of measures undertaken to make road travel safer in case of any unfortunate incidents. Earlier, 6 airbags and 3-point seat belts were made mandatory for increased safety quotient. It is interesting to note that front seat belt reminders are already mandatory, but the rear seat belt regulation was highlighted by the very unfortunate car accident of Mr. Cyrus Mistry.
While the earlier mandate of 6 airbags and other additions are still not implemented and has been pushed to a later date, this one comes with no frills. Simple rear seatbelt reminders will be coming from next year. It gives the automakers ample time frame to make necessary adjustments to their portfolio. Meanwhile, some carmakers like Hyundai have proactively taken up the task of offering increased safety and it offers 6 airbags across its entire portfolio starting from the base variant of the Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS.
On a side note, India has implemented its crash test rating protocol named the Bharat NCAP which is in line with international standards. This will replace the global NCAP ratings that currently test the vehicles and rate them according to a set parameter. This will also put a rest on the Safer Cars for India campaign undertaken by the GNCAP organization.
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Verdict
This move to make the rear seat belt alarm a mandatory addition sit in line with regular actions being undertaken to priortise passenger safety. Along with this, increased awareness coupled with stringent enforcement by authorities will surely help in reducing fatalities if and when the things go South. What do you think about this recent directives by the Ministry. Do share your thoughts with us.
