GUWAHATI, Jan 16 � Better late than never! The Transport Department along with Assam Police will finally start a drive to make fastening of seat belts compulsory for those riding on four-wheelers.
This comes in the wake of escalating number of fatalities reported, especially on National Highways.
The drive is expected to be launched from Guwahati and subsequently replicated in rest of the State, sources in the Transport Department said.
�Unlike all the other major cities of the country, there is hardly any priority given to putting on seat belts in the State. But with a spurt in the number of accidents and increasing number of vehicles hitting the roads, we are planning to first initiate an awareness drive and then probably impose fine on erring drivers,� sources said.
The sources further stated that the role of the Transport department will be as crucial as that of the men-in-khakis.
As per a rough estimate, around 50 per cent of the cars running in the capital city do not have seat belts. Moreover, of the rest, 40 per cent of them do not wear seat belts while driving. �The idea is to infuse in them the habit, which will eventually help in bringing down the number of fatal accidents in the State,� the sources stated.
