The recent death of ex- Tata Chairman, Cyrus Mistry in a car crash has opened up the debate on the importance of seat belts for passenger safety. While the tycoon and his friend seated in the back died in the accident, two of their co-passengers in the front who were wearing seat belts were seriously injured.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2021 report, there were 1,55,622 fatalities, which is a record high since 2014, and 69,240 of those deaths were related to two-wheelers. The annual report of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (21-22) also ranked India first in road deaths across 199 countries reported in the World Road Statistics, 2018. Additionally, a World Bank report also stated that India records a death on roads every four minutes.

Taking strong cognizance of the incident, the Indian government has announced to impose fine on passengers not wearing seat belts in the backseat. The government has also requested Amazon to stop selling devices that are designed to turn off car seatbelt alerts. The transport minister Nitin Gadkari is rolling out new rules and measures related to road safety following Mistry's death. 

However, the moot question one needs to ask is, why do we need authorities to impose fines to follow the rules which are meant for our own safety? As a society we need to learn to grow consciousness to follow laid down rules which concerns our well-being. 

Cars these days come with an alarm that won't stop beeping till you wear your seat belt. Many don't like the sound and buy devices to block the noise while others don't have the patience and try to fool the algorithm by fastening seats belts around the car seat itself. Till such mentality exists, safety will always take a backseat.