Why car passengers in the rear must wear seat belts

The death of business tycoon Cyrus Mistry in a road accident underlines the need for all car passengers to buckle up

The importance of wearing rear seat belts has come to the fore again following former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry’s demise in a car crash.

Union minister Nitin Gadkeri on Tuesday said that not wearing belts in the rear seats in cars will now attract fines. The police have not been penalising rear seat passengers for not wearing belts.

The death of the Indian -Irish businessman is a reminder of the risks of speeding and not wearing rear seat belts, highlights Feroz Khan, deputy chief traffic warden.

“All the safety features provided by the vehicle manufacturers are there for a reason. We must be responsible and wear seat belts. Cars even have a speeding warning indicator but it is ignored. We’re losing 2 lakh people every year in the country to road accidents,” he says.

He mentions the lack of accountability when it comes to accidents on state and national highways.
“Many accidents on the highways are not reported. These accidents occur generally when the cars are speeding over 80 kmph and most often people are not wearing seat belts even after repeated warnings. People need to improve their road sense and drive safely,” he adds.

RT Nagar-based Sunand Sampath who is a disaster management professional, points out that even insurance claims can be difficult in situations where one meets with an accident and is not wearing a seat belt.

An accident where the co-passengers are not wearing seat belts, can lead to serious injuries, even fatal ones. “Spinal injuries can be fatal. Massive bleeding due to external or internal injuries can lead to serious health conditions and cause fatalities,” he adds.

Dr Umesh Srikantha, neurosurgeon and head of spine services, notes a big difference between people who wear seat belts and those who don’t, in the kind of injuries they can sustain.

“Most often people wearing seat belts in the rear seats come with neck strains but people not wearing seat belts come with significant injuries like impact on the forehead or hyperextension injuries of the neck, multiple facial fractures and bone injuries as well,” he says.

Dr Srikantha adds that seat belts must be worn by all passengers to prevent such fatal accidents, in the future. he adds.