The govt has taken action against the top five e-commerce platforms for selling car seat belt alarm stopper clips, citing violations of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The stopper clips disable the alarm beep that reminds drivers to wear their seat belts, potentially compromising the safety of consumers.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) headed by chief commissioner, Nidhi Khare, passed orders against Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Meesho for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practice. (ALSO READ | Cyrus Mistry was not wearing seat belt; car covered 20km in 9 minutes: Police)
“The issue of the sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips came to the notice of CCPA by the Department of Consumer Affairs through the letter of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The letter highlighted the issue of blatant sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and requested for action on errant vendors / online platforms and issuance of an advisory,” the government said in an official statement.
It further said that wearing seat belts is required by Rule 138 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. However, online purchases of such devices that endanger passengers’ safety by turning off the alert sound while they are not wearing seat belts might be hazardous to customers’ lives and safety.
The penalty for not wearing a seat belt is Rs. 1,000.
CCPA orders permanent delisting
The central consumer rights regulation agency ordered the 5 e-commerce websites to “permanently” delist all car seat belt alarm stopper clips and associated motor vehicle components which compromise the safety of passengers and the public.
According to the authority, these platforms have already removed 13,118 automobile seat belt alarm stopper clips from sales.
Amazon has delisted 8,095 such clips, Flipkart has delisted 4,000-5,000, Meesho 21, while Snapdeal and Shopclues have each delisted one, the statement read.
ALSO READ: 3 months on, rear seat belt rule being implemented arbitrarily, say motorists
Seat belts a must for safe driving
According to a recent survey from MoRTH, more than 16,000 people died in road accidents owing to not wearing seat belts in 2021, with 8,438 of them being drivers and the remainder 7,959 being passengers. Furthermore, 39,231 people were hurt, with 16,416 of them being drivers and 22,818 being passengers.
Young individuals aged 18 to 45 account for more than one-third of all road accident victims, the survey revealed.