Fasten that belt

Auto majors should take up safety issues

The Supreme Court, while making the fastening of seat belts mandatory for front seat occupants with immediate effect, has yet again done a service to the nation. Authorities have for long cast a blind eye to the country’s appalling traffic safety record — more than 85,000 die while 12 lakh are crippled by injuries on Indian roads every year. Highly avoidable fatalities/injuries due to road accidents have recurred consistently because no state/UT in the country — Chandigarh being a notable exception— has, so far, passed laws which compel motorists to wear seat belts. Even in Chandigarh, it was only at the direction of the Punjab and Haryana high court that the state government took up the issue. But clearly, putting the entire blame on an inadequate legislative framework would be foolish.
Irresponsible drivers who — continually and incomprehensibly — refuse to put a premium on their and others’ lives are equally, if not more, to blame. It is the latter that leads one to welcome the apex court’s order. There now exists a hope that some of us, if not all, will be scared into adhering to a court order.

For the Supreme Court’s intent to be realised, the implementation of the directive is crucial. While difficult, Chandigarh proves, well enough, that the task is not impossible. Enforcement officials, together with policymakers, will need to come up with a coordinated implementation strategy with minimum loopholes. However, other players too must pick up the gauntlet. India’s consumer groups must take a cue from their counterparts in the United States — where recently, a powerful civil society representative forced Ford Motor Company to accept responsibility in a driver safety issue concerning its Explorer SUV — and pressurise auto makers to give similar importance to concerns here. The least auto majors can do is to voluntarily showcase the safety features of their cars and venture into socially desirable advertising, as pharma and liquor companies have done in the recent past. The state police and the government (the transportation or health departments) may well launch campaigns to coax the masses — including cops and government officials, themselves — into adhering to all safety regulations. But auto majors, who carry with them a unique responsibility and possess the right platform, must do their bit too.