The traffic police in the Commissionerate are seriously mulling over enforcing the rule of wearing seat belt by those driving four-wheelers.
The incident that set them thinking of implement the law is the car accident on the outer ring road in Hyderabad on Monday last.
APCOB Chairman P. Venkateswara Rao’s wife Satyavani and car driver Das died in the accident. While Venkateswara Rao survived with minor injuries as he was wearing the seat belt, his wife and driver died of multiple injuries after being thrown out of the car as they were not wearing the seat belt.
According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu, in a majority of cases, fatalities can be avoided by wearing the seat belt.
There are a number of instances wherein people succumbed to injuries as they were not wearing the seat belt. Similarly, there are many who survived the accident as they adhered to the norm.
In November 2012, senior TDP leader from Srikakulam Kinjarapu Yerrannaidu would have survived the car crash had he worn the seat belt.
“As my brother did not wear the seat belt, he hit the windshield after the driver rammed the car into the lorry from behind. Besides suffering head injuries, his lungs were crushed,’ said ACP (Traffic) Kinjarapu Prabhakar.
In 2014, the city witnessed 271 accidents involving four-wheelers. Of them, 42 were fatal and 229 non-fatal. In 2015, the number of accidents was 256 and 40 of them were fatal.
Till April end this year, the number of accidents was 112. Of them, 17 were fatal and 95 suffered injuries.
According to Mahendra Patrudu, 95 per cent of the fatalities in a car accident are because of non-adherence to the seat belt norm.
“In any high-speed car crash, the inmates suffer head, spine, and lung injuries. But, by wearing the seat belt, these parts can be saved from major damage,” said Mr. Patrudu.
The seat belt norm has been in force since the last few years. In 2014, the number of cases booked against violators was 21,500. In 2015, the number of cases was 19,575. Till April this year, the number was 2,764.
Admitting that the enforcement has not been that serious so far, Mr. Mahendra Patrudu said: “We basically focus on high-speed driving on the NH stretch and violation of the seat belt norm is part of the speed violation. But from now, we are planning to enforce the seat belt norm as an exclusive violation. We will have teams working on the NH as well as city limits.”
Apart from enforcing the norm, the department is planning to run an awareness campaign.
