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Despite stringent traffic laws, most passengers in rear seats of cars, vans and other four-wheelers don’t wear seat belts in the national capital, traffic officials say. Traffic Police officials say they have been conducting special drives to push people to wear seat belts, and one of the major challenges for authorities is to catch offenders on camera or at traffic posts.
According to data, more than 1,900 people died in the national capital last year in road accidents involving the negligence of the driver or occupants. Delhi Traffic Police issued over 1.2 crore notices last year to offenders for not wearing seat belts, improper parking, jumping red lights and speeding.
On Sunday afternoon, former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry died in a high-speed car crash in Palghar. Police officers in Maharashtra said Mistry was in the backseat and wasn’t wearing a seat belt. “The deceased seated in the back were not wearing seat belts due to which their airbags did not deploy. When the car crashed, they got jammed between the front and back seats.” said an officer.
Under the newly amended Motor Vehicle Act, section 194B, whoever drives a motor vehicle without a safety belt or carries passengers without seat belts will be fined. The challan amount is up to Rs 1,000. A sub-section of the act also states that it’s compulsory to secure a child (age less than 14) with a safety belt. However, car drivers do not follow the rules.
A senior traffic police officer in Delhi said, “The law is there and it is very much applicable in Delhi. One should wear a seat belt while seated in a car. However, it is not easy to catch offenders. We have multiple surveillance and traffic cameras in the city but they can’t catch the glimpse of back seat occupants. Also, traffic personnel deployed on arterial roads and other junctions can’t stop every car and check for violations.”
The Traffic Police is currently operating with a staff of 6,000 personnel. Over 420 teams are deployed on different roads, markets and areas to catch offenders and regulate traffic movement.
Senior officers said they conduct special drives in certain districts to create awareness about the law and guide people. “We try to conduct as many special drives as we can. Our motive is to make people aware of the laws and consequences. The drives have been conducted in West Delhi, South Delhi, Dwarka and North Delhi. We are also using AI-driven cameras now to catch more offenders,” said the officer.
Over 450 body-worn cameras have been provided to staff under the Ministry guidelines. The cameras will help police staff catch people who are not wearing seat belts and are speeding.
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