BENGALURU: All passengers travelling in four-wheelers have to compulsorily wear seat belts or pay a fine of Rs 1,000. The rule appplies to SUVs, MUVs, hatchbacks and sedans which are classified as M1. A memo in this regard was issued by the office of DG & IGP Praveen Sood to police heads of all districts on Tuesday, asking them to strictly enforce the new rule.
The memo refers to a letter written by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) to all states in September, asking for strict implementation of the law. The letter by MoRTH states that seat belts are safety-critical items and are essential in ensuring the safety of the occupants in vehicles.
As per Rule, 125(1) (a) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, “M1 category motor vehicles used for carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver seat, shall be equipped with a seat belt for a person occupying the front-facing rear seat.
Therefore, all passengers of M1 category vehicles having frontfacing seats should wear seat belts.” B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru city, said the traffic police in the city have already started enforcing the law.