As an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, Ministry issued the draft rule to comply with the latest Central Motor Vehicle Act changes. Not complying with the rule will attract a fine of Rs. 1,000 along with the suspension of driving license for 3 months.
As per the draft, the driver must use a safety harness to keep the child below 4 years old attached to them. The safety harness is an adjustable vest that can be worn by the kid and is hung on the driver’s shoulder. The draft notification states that the upper torso will be attached to the driver.
The Youth Road Safety ambassador Deepanshu Gupta of the India Road Safety Campaign said that the rule has gained importance because two-wheelers are the most unsafe mode of transportation vehicle in India. We have seen people carrying kids on two-wheelers in an unsafe manner. In case of accidents, children are prone to get severely injured as they don’t get to wear helmets and are held pretty loosely by parents while riding as pillion. The proposed draft rule will fill the gap in the law as soon as it is enforced.
Also, there is no data as of yet of how many kids below the age of 4 have died in road accidents since the government puts all children in one age group that is below 18.