Cyrus Mistry death: What are seat-belt alarm stoppers that government plans to ban?

The Central government is reportedly planning to ban all kinds of seat-belt beep-alarm stoppers. The decision comes in the wake of the death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole in a car mishap in Maharashtra’s Palghar. As per reports, Mistry and Pandole, who were sitting in the rear of the Mercedes SUV, were not wearing seat belts and the car did not have front-facing airbags for the back passengers. The other two occupants– Dr Anahita Pandole, a top gynaecologist from Mumbai, who was driving the vehicle and her husband Darius Pandole were in the front. The couple is undergoing treatment for serious injuries. Mistry’s death has once again brought the questions of road safety into the limelight and ignited a conversation about the use of seat belts . What are seat belt alarm stoppers? What reforms can the government to enhance road safety? Let’s explain the issue in detail: How do seat belt alarm stoppers work?

Seat-belt alarm stoppers are clips used to stop the beeping that reminds the driver and passengers to wear seat belts.

Once inserted into the buckle of the seat belt, the clip “fools” the seat belt-locking mechanism into believing everyone inside the car has worn safety belts, as per DriveSpark. Most cars in India are equipped with seat belt warning systems for the front passengers. Some even stop moving if the front occupants are not wearing seat belts, however, no such mechanism is in place for those who sit in the back of the car, reported HT Auto. ALSO READ: From Cyrus Mistry to Princess Diana: Road accident deaths that shook the world What did Nitin Gadkari say? As traffic safety has put the Centre in a spot following Cyrus Mistry’s death, Union minister of road transport and highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari on Monday declared that all kinds of seat-belt beep-alarm stoppers will be banned, reported Hindustan Times (HT). [caption id=“attachment_11197441” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole died in a car mishap in Maharashtra’s Palghar. PTI File Photo[/caption] Speaking at International Advertising Association Summit, Gadkari was quoted as saying by HT, “We will not tolerate any compromise on any international standards on road safety and this covers all aspects, road as well as vehicles. I have issued the order to ban the manufacturing and sale of seat belt stopper clips.”

A senior transport ministry official confirmed the order and said a notification on banning seat belt stopper clips will be “issued soon”.

“I am also working on expanding the scope of cameras installed on our highways to detect and automatically prosecute those not wearing a seat belt inside a car,” Gadkari further said. Calling Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway, where Mistry’s accident occurred, “very dangerous”, the Union minister stressed on the need for both front and backseaters to wear seat belts. He said that any effort to ensure road safety would be “fruitless without the cooperation of people”, NDTV reported. [caption id=“attachment_11197481” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole were reportedly not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident. PTI photo[/caption] What other reforms is Centre mulling? The road transport minister said he is striving to make six airbags mandatory for cars, despite pushback from the automobile industry, as per NDTV. The auto manufacturers have cited an increase in the cost of low-end cars and a dip in sales for their resistance to the move. Commenting on the issue, Gadkari said, “I told the industry - people are dying. I myself had an accident. There are international standards regarding road safety - we will not compromise on them. Our highest priority is to save lives.” Earlier this year, the road transport minister had said that the government has mandated the automakers to provide three-point seat belts for all front-facing passengers in a car. These belts also have to be provided for the middle seat in the rear row of a car, PTI cited him as saying. Moreover, as overspeeding continues to be one of the biggest reasons for road killings in the country, the central government has notified different speed limits for various categories of roads.

The maximum speed limit for cars is 100 kmph on national highways and 120 kmph on expressways.

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Worrying state of affairs The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report made some concerning revelations about road safety in India. Deaths in road accidents saw a jump by almost 17 per cent in 2021 compared to a year before. As many as 4.03 lakh road accidents were recorded in 2021, up from 3.54 lakh in 2020. While speeding caused the most number of deaths (87,000), nearly 42,000 casualties occurred due to dangerous and careless driving. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.