Y-shaped safety belts to be mandated for all seats in car

Soon, all seats in a car will be required to have a “three-point” or Y-shaped seat belt, including middle-rear seats, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.

The Ministry will issue a draft notification in a day or two to invite stakeholders’ comments following which the new rule will be notified, the Minister said at a press conference.

“Automobile manufacturers are given a choice between two-point and three-point seat belts. Now, we plan to make three-point seat belts mandatory as they are known to ensure better safety,” a senior government official explained. He added that all “front-facing” seats will be required to have this provision, including middle-rear seats.

A two-point belt attaches at its two ends, whereas a three-point is the combination of a lap belt and a sash belt, which is most commonly used in cars in India today. In a collision the 3-point belt spreads out the energy of the moving body over the chest, pelvis, and shoulders.

Last month, the Ministry also proposed to make six airbags compulsory for all passenger cars.

The Minister said it was his desire that the total deaths due to road accidents in India should be halved by 2025. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2020 there were 1.3 lakh road fatalities in the country.