98.2 per cent of Mumbaikars do not use rear seatbelts: Study

Mumbaikars don’t think seatbelt is mandatory, says the study

Only 2.4 per cent of the citizens wore rear seatbelts in the city, a research study released by SaveLIFE Foundation with support from Nissan India has revealed. It said even though there is high awareness about the availability of rear seat belts, their usage is alarmingly low.

As per observations in Mumbai, it was found that 98.2 per cent of people did not use rear seatbelts. Around 90 per cent of Mumbai respondents felt the need for a strict law enforcing the usage of rear seatbelts. The major reason for not wearing seatbelt in Mumbai was that people think it's not mandatory to wear rear seatbelts.

A majority of children in metro cities like Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Bengaluru said they sit alone in the rear seat, while most children in the metros of Chennai and Mumbai said they sit alone in the front seat. A senior transport department official said seatbelts and child restraints are extremely effective at saving the lives of car occupants in the event of a crash.

SaveLIFE Foundation said they carried out a survey to understand the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices (KABP) of people in Mumbai with respect to road safety. "It is important to ensure that children are sitting in the rear and are seated in the right restraint system. There are already sections in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act for these provisions. The need of the hour is focussed enforcement to mitigate these risk factors," said Karuna Raina, director, public policy, SaveLIFE India.

Maharashtra transport commissioner Avinash Dhakne told mid-day there is a need to change the mindset. "Seatbelts are of paramount importance while riding a vehicle. In case of a crash, they secure the human body and are a vital safety feature. Many think that it is not important to wear it while in urban places, but there have been cases where lives have been saved because of the use of seatbelts," Dhakne said.