Jamshedpur, Oct. 28: After an unrelenting campaign to spread awareness among motorists on the need to wear helmets, the city traffic police have now launched a drive to enforce the seat-belt rules.
According to traffic officials, cases will be booked against car drivers violating the law. The rule is also applicable to the co-passenger in the front seat. So far, the traffic police had desisted from registering cases against car drivers and those in the adjacent seat for not wearing seat belts.
�This is not a new rule and exists in the law. We thought it fit to create a greater awareness of the rule among the public before implementing it,� a senior official said.
A crackdown on four-wheelers, especially cars, flouting the seat belt rule started at Sakchi and Mango in the steel city and about 30 vehicles were caught and fined on Wednesday.
Traffic deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of East Singhbhum Vivekanand Thakur, who was monitoring the drive, said that this is not a new norm and has been existing in the rulebook for a long time. Only, drivers are too casual about it and don’t adhere to it. He added that those violating the norm were fined Rs 1,000 on the spot as per the Motor Vehicles Act.
According to statistics, wearing seat belts while driving reduces fatalities by about 60 percent and injuries by nearly 50 percent during mishaps.
At the same time, it doubles the chances of survival in a serious accident and prevents occupants from being ejected out from the vehicle in case of an impact. After the enforcement of the helmet rule, the focus has turned to wearing seat belts. The driver and co-passengers in four wheelers must wear seat belts as it is mandatory under the Indian Motor Vehicles Act.
The objective of the campaign is to sensitise people on the subject. During the drive, the passengers of four-wheelers would be educated on wearing seatbelts.
�It is necessary to create awareness first, before enforcing the law. People should realise its importance and voluntarily start wearing seat belts.
It has become necessary to wear seat belt as it protects passengers to some extent in the event of accidents,� Thakur said.
