A COUPLE of years ago the Supreme Court directed all car manufacturers to provide seat belts to the occupants. So, the front two seats for the driver and passenger were supplied with the mandatory seat belts. Only the expensive model of cars have seat belts for the rear-seat passengers.

For the manufacturers to supply seats belts was no problem. They had been doing it worldwide for over 25 years. However, there seems to be no distinct and clear instructions on wearing seat belts. Moreover, since the apex court ruling is only a few years old, there could be a couple of million cars on the road that do not have the factory-fitted seat belts. A lot of cars that have been recently manufactured, there are provisions for seat belts, i.e. the anchor points have been built into the car body. It is a simple matter to bolt a seat belt on.

This is where the police are little confused. Who to challan?

The answer would be a simple one. All those who have cars fitted with seat belts after the apex court order should use the seat belts, otherwise the order to the manufacturer does not have meaning.

A seat belt is recognised all over the world as the most effective passive safety system for car passengers. If it is fitted to the car, use it.

In any case, you should be catering to your own safety. Such matters should be a personal concern and need not necessarily be legislated.

To have a seat belt in your car and not fastening it is like wearing a helmet and not fastening the chin strap while riding a two-wheeler. The helmet is of no use. At the first bump, the helmet will go flying off the head. A full-face

helmet may even cover a part of your face, blinding you momentarily. That can be disastrous for a two-wheeler rider at speed.

While on the subject of bumps, Chandigarh may soon suffer from a rash of speedbreakers. In most developed countries where the smooth flow of traffic is a priority, speedbreakers are a no-no! They hamper the smooth flow of traffic. The police, the fire department and ambulances all objected to what was rudely referred to as the ‘sleeping police man'!

Since most speedbreakers come as a surprise to the drivers with no advance warnings, they can be dangerous. Taken at speed, they can destabilise the car. They are ideally designed and suited to break the suspension and silencer of your car.

Speed breakers can cause strange accidents. Some years ago I was following a friend in his Gypsy on NH 8 to Jaipur. He hit a speedbreaker and I saw him become air-borne and fly about 20 metres before landing with a thud. The Gypsy had come to a halt, the battery had broken loose and both terminals touched the metal bonnet, causing sparking and shorting of the alternator. The damages cost him about Rs. 7,000!

The moral of the story! Wear seat belts at all times. They save lives. Keep your battery secured firmly to the cradle and keep a lookout for speedbreakers.

Happy motoring!