NEW DELHI: The union ministry of road transport and highways will soon direct vehicle manufacturers to fix seat belts in the back seats, so as to ensure the safety of the person sitting in the middle of the back seat. The manufacturers will be directed to put three-point safety seatbelts in cars. The draft guideline regarding the law will be released this month.

Most cars sold in India have three-point seat belts only in the front seats and two back seats. Safety belts in the middle are found only in some cars. In some vehicles, lap seatbelts are available for those in the back seats. Currently, it is not a crime to not wear seatbelts while sitting in the back. However, as the new law comes into effect, seatbelts will have to be worn strictly.

The three-point safety seatbelts created and released by Swedish carmaker Volvo, was scientifically demonstrated to be safer than the lap belts. This is the second project launched by the Indian government to make cars safer for the passengers. The government had recently released a draft notification on January 14, making it mandatory to include six airbags in cars. Around 90 percent of the passengers in India do not wear seat belts, said the authorities.