Chief Ministers used 'certain clip' to bypass seatbelt alert: Nitin Gadkari 

New Delhi: The tragic death of the former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry in the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway accident has raised many questions about road and automobile safety in India.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, in conversation with India Today's Rahul Kanwal at IAA Global Summit 2022, highlighted that the government is working hard to ensure road and automobile safety.

Speaking at the Summit, Gadkari said, “The centre is working on making safer highways by bettering road design, mandatory six airbags in cars, and improving seat belt compliance.”

Gadkari said the mindset of the common man needs to change to increase road safety. 

"People think back-seaters don't need belts. It is the problem. I don't want to make any comments on any accident. But both front-seaters and back-seaters need to wear seat belts," the minister said.

"Forget the cars of common people, I had travelled in the cars of 4 chief ministers -- don't ask me the names. I was in the front seat and found that there was a clip so that it does not make any sound when there is no belt. I asked the drivers where the belts were and made sure that I wear the seat belt before the car started," Gadkari said. 

“Now I have banned the manufacturing and sales of such clips,” the minister said.

The comment comes as former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry died in a car accident on Sunday. The police probe revealed that Cyrus Mistry was in the backseat of the car and was not wearing a seat belt. The car was overspeeding before it hit a road divider on a bridge over the Surya river on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway.

Gadkari also spoke about the future of electric vehicles in India. He said that the need of the hour is the implementation of innovation and new technology for mass transportation.

An electric vehicle should be used as an alternative to fuel-run vehicles as it can be a good alternative, as it is cost-effective and also pollution free.

Earlier, Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, Morris Garage, said that there will be an increase in penetration of electric cars in India in the coming years. He said right now it is hardly 1% but it might see an increase by 30-35% in the coming years.

However, reports suggest that, despite the launch of products by incumbent OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and new players in the market, the EV penetration was extremely low at 0.08% in 2021. The split of overall EVs in India, by two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers, was 17%, 79%, 4% in 2021 respectively.

The car industry has gone through a massive change after the pandemic. The branding, sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and services all have transformed and accelerated post-pandemic.

Chaba also highlighted that buying targets will also be changing in the car industry in the coming years. He said, “With the development of new technologies and innovations, it is amusing to say that we will soon witness that cars will come free and you will only have to pay for the service data which is going to be more expensive, in the coming years.”