Dummy Seat Belt Clips Chucked From Amazon/Flipkart Listing On Government Orders

These products dupe the system into thinking the passenger is strapped in

In the wake of the demise of Cyrus Mistry, the former Tata Sons chairman, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the usage, or rather, the misuse of seatbelts. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari was quick to the situation as he confirmed an upcoming notification that will make wearing rear seat belts mandatory. Now E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have removed products that disable vehicle seat belt alarms, following a plea by the government authorities.

Why do people use such products?

Because comfort is king. Well, according to some, it is. Generally speaking, people can’t really comprehend the consequence of not wearing a seatbelt if they get involved in a crash. Even if they can, some tend to forget how bad a situation can get because they have never been in one themselves. A few find seat belts uncomfortable or pertain to it as a hindrance in their experience of driving the car. If not tucked in, seat belt alarms can be irritating, with the constant beeping sound getting to your head. Hence, people tend to use dupe clips that elude the seat belt warning alarm without having to wear the belt. 

Also Read: Here Are 10 Most Affordable Cars With Rear Middle 3-Point Seat Belt

How do these products work?

No rocket science is involved here, as the product is just a replica of the seat belt tongue that goes onto the buckle. However, there is no belt attached to the clip here. The dummy clip goes into the buckle, which makes the system believe that the passenger has buckled up, hence duping the alarm system. It turns off the seatbelt signal and shuts off the concurrent alarm without actually being buckled up.

With road safety measures under strict scrutiny, we might see a lot of developments in the coming days that could include standardization of rear seat belt alarm, three-point seat belts and six airbags on all passenger cars sold in India. Challans for not wearing a rear seat belt are also set to be implemented soon. What is your take on the recent developments around car safety in India?