Buckle up & do it correctly: Experts stress importance of seat belts

Bengaluru police have already booked 76,444 seat belt violations this year

The death of two software engineers in a car crash earlier this week has brought the focus back to the importance of seat belts.

The accident occurred when their car, with three other occupants, rammed into a BBMP garbage truck parked on the side of Balagere Road on Sunday night. 

Though the police refused to comment on whether or not the occupants were buckled up, Dr Mirza Alamdar Ali, one of the doctors attending to the victims of the crash, wrote on X: “The only survivor with minor injuries was the one wearing seatbelt.” (sic) 

Harman Singh Sandhu, founder of Chandigarh-based road safety NGO, Arrive Safe, says multiple studies have shown the effectiveness of seat belts. “It can reduce 50% of the impact on occupants in the front row and up to 75% on people sitting at the back. It’s the least one can do to guard oneself from uncertainties,” he says.

According to WHO, seat belts have saved more lives than any other road safety intervention in history.

Professor Venkatesh Balasubramanian heads the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety at IIT Madras. He explains how they work. 

“After a crash, the vehicle stops suddenly but our bodies remain in motion because of inertia. Seat belts act as a restraint, holding our bodies in place. This prevents our bodies from moving forward and crashing into the dashboard, flying out of the car, or colliding sideways. A seat belt is a key safety device but should not be seen as a singular factor in saving lives. Secondary systems like airbags and headrests play their part too,” he says.

But seat belts are effective only when worn correctly, says Sandhu.
R Lakshmanan from Chennai concurs. He worked in the production unit of an automobile firm in the US for six years. “It’s not uncommon to see people wearing the seat belt too close to the neck or under the arm, or buckling it on the stomach when it should be lower on your hip,” he shares.

Balasubramanian says Indian cars are fitted with three-point seat belts.
As the vehicle decelerates, both cross and lap belts become taut and restrain the occupant in place. In most models, the rear middle seat occupants have only the lap belt.

Sandhu says stringent enforcement is needed. “Parts of Chandigarh that are monitored by CCTV cameras see lesser seat belt violations because people don’t want to be penalised,” he says.

Seat belt violations in Bengaluru

Bengaluru traffic police booked over 8 lakh cases of driving without a seat belt in 2023. The cases hovered around 1.3 lakh and 1.2 lakh in 2022 and 2021 respectively. The violations reported until March 2024 stand at 76,444.

Dr Mirza Alamdar Ali posted about the accident because he wanted to bring attention to a rise in road accidents. “Every weekend, we see many poly-trauma cases related to speeding, drunk driving, driving without seat belts and because of potholes. This is common in the 25-35 age group. I insist that people buckle up. You may get contusions on the chest but save your head from grievous injuries. My colleague survived a horrific car crash. He had a seat belt on,” he says.

Penalty

First-time offenders have to pay a fine of Rs 500. It increases to
Rs 1,000 for subsequent violations. The seatbelt rule applies to all occupants in the car, including children. Infants are to be secured in child seats. “Children are advised to sit in the rear seats rather than in the front as they are more secure,” says Balasubramanian.