<p>The High Court of Karnataka has sought a response from the state government to a public interest litigation petition for disengaging the child safety lock feature in cabs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a petition filed by Dr Hema Divakar who urged the court to ordered the authorities to enforce rules to deactivate the child lock feature to ensure the safety of women passengers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The petitioner said she was aggrieved by the authorities’ inaction over the safety of women travelling by cabs in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The child safety locks are built into rear doors of most cars to prevent rear seat passengers from opening the door while in motion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The feature, in existence in most cars since the 1980s, aims to give the driver a safe method to prevent children from opening the door.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The child lock feature is activated in a cab as soon as a passenger occupies the rear seat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It becomes impossible for women to open the door and run out in case of an emergency. As a result, women get trapped inside and are at the mercy of the driver, according to Dr Hema.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, have a provision for a switches/buttons mechanism.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The provision should be amended to add an additional requirement to disengage the child lock feature permanently, the petitioner argued.</p>
<p>The High Court of Karnataka has sought a response from the state government to a public interest litigation petition for disengaging the child safety lock feature in cabs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a petition filed by Dr Hema Divakar who urged the court to ordered the authorities to enforce rules to deactivate the child lock feature to ensure the safety of women passengers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The petitioner said she was aggrieved by the authorities’ inaction over the safety of women travelling by cabs in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The child safety locks are built into rear doors of most cars to prevent rear seat passengers from opening the door while in motion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The feature, in existence in most cars since the 1980s, aims to give the driver a safe method to prevent children from opening the door.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The child lock feature is activated in a cab as soon as a passenger occupies the rear seat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It becomes impossible for women to open the door and run out in case of an emergency. As a result, women get trapped inside and are at the mercy of the driver, according to Dr Hema.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Karnataka On-demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, have a provision for a switches/buttons mechanism.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The provision should be amended to add an additional requirement to disengage the child lock feature permanently, the petitioner argued.</p>