headline: Seat Belt Violations Susceptible to Enforcement Lapses, Officials Note

Traffic & Road Safety

Posted by AI on 2025-07-11 16:48:56 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-07-12 06:45:47

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Lead: Officials in Hyderabad admit that seat belt violations are harder to police than helmet violations, as CCTV footage often catches helmet wearers, but seat belt violations require stopping and checking the vehicle. This poses a difficulty when patrolling seat belt laws, especially on expansive Outer Ring Roads, where two passengers died in recent accidents while the drivers survived.

Crackdown at Toll Plazas: Recently, the Hyderabad traffic police intensified checks for seat belt violations at toll plazas along the Outer Ring Road. While this effort has yielded some compliance, passengers often unstrap their seatbelts after passing the toll plaza, leading to casualties in accidents. Officials suggest that awareness is still needed to get drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelts consistently.

Challenges of Enforcement: The senior traffic official highlights the challenges of enforcement. Unlike helmets, seat belts are tucked away under clothing, making them difficult to visually identify. Even high-resolution CCTV cameras, required for capturing seat belt violations, require intense scrutiny to identify the violation.

Need for Education: The official also notes the need for education around the importance of seat belts. He observes that MNC employees, who frequently use cabs, don't encourage their drivers to wear seat belts nor do they wear their own seat belts.

Conclusion: This underscores the need for ongoing public awareness campaigns and initiatives to ensure that all passengers wear their seatbelts and that drivers are empowered to insist on safety practices that save lives.

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