[basilmabraham]

Wearing seat belts have been made mandatory in Kerala since yesterday. Only the front seat passengers are expected wear them. This is another sham by the govt.

Todays newspapers sport pictures of a ministers car and a police vehicle running without the seat belts on...

The law is made mandatory for cars bught after 2003 only...I think thats stupid too...Every one shud be made to wear seat belts while driving cars and helmets while driving bikes...Helmets were made mandatory for the driver of bikes a few weeks back...

[amtak]

I don't know what to say. The govt should understand that its not that cars which have been manufactured post 2003 will meet with an accident, hence the seat belt rule! With due respects to the fair sex, my personal obervation tells me that its the ladies who say that nothing will happen and hence under their influence even the gentlemen don't wear it. Add to that kids on the front seats...moreover, I have seen "morons" driving a car with kids in their LAPS...Don't think about the safety of the child also...The only thing I would say for them is:

"May their Sould rest in Peace"

PS: In my car, everyone is supposed to wear a seat belt, the car does not move an inch if no one is belted...If someone resists, he's told to come in a cab or a rickshaw.

[dadu]

Well lets look at the positive side atleast this will mandate people having cars later than 2003 to be safe.

Now if the minister wants to get into a bad injury like some have already on the highways and I remember one death on the Jaipur highway of our ex-PM (I am not sure if he was wearing one), let him test his luck.

But IMO Safetly belts should be worn by all.

[Samurai]

Actually they should relax the seat belt standards for politicians, I mean I don't really mind if they...

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Law requires only those vehicles manufactured after 2003 to have seat belts. Obviously, only passengers of those vehicles can wear seatbelts, coz only such vehicles will have them.
Of course, most vehicles manufactured even prior to 2003 do have seat belts, and several owners have added seat belts as an after marekt upgrade, but while implementing the law, only if the seat belt exists can the passengers be made to wear them; and only if the law requires the seat belts can the enforcement agency insist that they exist on the vehcile.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

Law requires only those vehicles manufactured after 2003 to have seat belts. Obviously, only passengers of those vehicles can wear seatbelts, coz only such vehicles will have them.
Of course, most vehicles manufactured even prior to 2003 do have seat belts, and several owners have added seat belts as an after marekt upgrade, but while implementing the law, only if the seat belt exists can the passengers be made to wear them; and only if the law requires the seat belts can the enforcement agency insist that they exist on the vehcile.

I remember when it was made mandatory in Delhi and Punjab, it was made mandatory for all vehicles.

People who didnt have seat belts since they had older vehicles had to get them installed.

This is what you call good governance.

[jango]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Actually they should relax the seat belt standards for politicians, I mean I don't really mind if they...

Ya me too Samurai... . By the way what abt all the Manhindra Jeeps that are out there, i mean the international and the Majors, do they come with seat belts from the factory ??

[basilmabraham]

Originally Posted by amtak

PS: In my car, everyone is supposed to wear a seat belt, the car does not move an inch if no one is belted...If someone resists, he's told to come in a cab or a rickshaw.

This is exactly what I do in my car....learnt it from oneof our clients, whose drivers do the same thing, the car doesnot move an inch, unless everyone aboard is belted up, be it the CEO or the cook, who is in the car. They also dont allow baggage like laptops or office bags to be kept in thepasenger cabin, all those go to the trunk.

Interestingly, the autorickshaws, which cause most of the accidents in the city are out of this jurisdiction. Dont think a seatbelt will ever be part of OE for autos.

[DileepKS]

I always believe safety is a personal issue, and the government should only enforce safety to OTHERS, not ONESELF.

In other words, the government must enforce the availability of proper safety belts in the car, but should not enforce the driver wearing it. It is not a safety hazard to others.

Instead, the govt should focus the energy and resources to the bigger issues dealing with safety, like lane discipline, tailgating, yielding, stop/light enforcement, speeding etc. Have anyone EVER been fined for violating lane discipline? Would the moron who barged into my front was charged? Would the lady who took the wrong side and almost hit my flank be charged?

Now all the cops will stand around the roads catching ppl who don't give a damn about themselves, while people who don't give a damn about others go unhindered.

Let me bring a term coined at my other favourite haunt, BR. This is LAHORI LOGIC!!

Once you do all the enforcement of what is needed, and still you have time (like the police in developed countries do), you can go enforce the self-safety laws like seat belts.

Sorry about the rant folks, but this drives me crazy!

[Steeroid]

As Samurai says - let politicians, policemen, gangsters and all other low-life go around without seatbelts. They are expendable.

You wouldnt go around without seatbelts personally unless you think your family is expendable too. Its a good rule - why are people cribbing about the fact that they have to wear belts while others dont have to? Do you really think your life is as cheap as they think theirs are?

[tsk1979]

Foolish rules I must say.
The rule should be
1. If a 2 wheeler rider dies or gets injured in an accident, and he/she is without a helmet, the vehicle responsible is exonerated of all charges. Also the life insurance company is under no obligation to pay.
2. Same rule for guy without seat belt.

[DileepKS]

Good idea TSK.

Not only life insurance. NO INSURANCE!! No own damage, no third party, nothing!!

That will do great.

My wife was reluctant to wear it initially. When we moved to USA I scared her saying that I will end up in jail if she doesn't wear it. Even with that threat in place, sometimes she used to remove it on the sly.

One day I noticed it. I made sure that both the kids are still buckled up. Then when we reached inside the parking lot of the apartment, with a speed of just 10mph, I stepped on the brake real hard.

She was thrown real hard against the front pax seat. Both kids, the little one in the rear facing infant seat and the bigger one in the booster seat didn't even notice the jolt.

She went crazy with "What" and "Why". I calmly explained her that the speed was only 10mph, and what would have happened even at the city speed of 35-40mph, let alone freeway speeds?

She religiously wears it after that incident, and continues it here too.

[neoonwheels]

At times I fail to understand why govt should make it compulsory just for the sake of our safety.. Cant we understand our safety on ourselves? I always fasten my seat belt even though I am going somewhere around 1-2 KM far.. I do not allow people to come with me until they fasten their seat belts.. passenger side as well as rear passengers.. At times I end up traveling alone..

One of my friend had serious injury not because of putting on seat belts.. He was waiting for his signal on junction and suddenly a mini truck banged him from behind.. He was almost thrown on windshield.. It was scary..

It is for us and for our beloved once who keeps on waiting for us back at our place.. It is sad to see well educated people roaming around without fastening their seat belts..

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Back after a drive through the city.

Only less than 20% of the people seems to be willing to wear seat belts. The rest just drive otherwise.

Didn't see any kind of checking for seat belts in the city (May be because it was raining lightly)

In fact, a month after the compulsory helmet rule, only less than 50% have helmets these days. For a week, there was checking and all, now they dont seem eager to catch a biker without a helmet.

[Mistakenguy]

That's because the home minister asked the police not to harass the people not wearing helmets .
And btw its nice to see unclejees belting up while driving the car which they never did otherwise .