Mr Mistry was sitting in the back seat and was not wearing a seatbelt as his speeding Mercedes crashed into a divider in the Palghar district of Maharashtra on Sunday.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Gadkari said that although it was mandatory for rear-seat passengers to wear a seatbelt, people have not been following the same. Henceforth, they would be fined because at "any cost, lives have to be saved". However, he emphasised that fining people was not the goal, but cutting down of road accidents by 50 per cent by 2024 was the aim.?

Although not wearing a seat belt by passengers sitting in the rear seats attracts a fine of Rs 1,000 under Rule 138 (3) of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), most people are either unaware of this mandatory rule or just ignore them.

Even traffic policemen seldom fine passengers sitting on rear seats for not wearing seat belts, he added while addressing the media.

Seat belt alarm

On Tuesday, Gadkari said that the?government was?planning to make it mandatory for automakers to introduce a seat belt alarm system for rear seats also.

Presently, it is mandatory for all vehicle manufacturers to provide seat belt reminders only for front-seat passengers.

"Because of the death of Cyrus Mistry in a car accident, we have taken a decision that there will be a seat belt beep system for the rear seats also in vehicles," he said while addressing a Business Standard programme to celebrate India@75.?

Proposal on speed limit

Gadkari said that proposal of increasing the maximum speed limit of vehicles on expressways and highways will be discussed in Transport Development Council (TDC) meeting in Bengaluru this week.

Another proposal to bring laws to use the sound of Indian musical instruments as a horn for vehicles will also be discussed in the meeting, he added.??

The road transport and highways minister further said he was trying to work with the states to find ways to reduce accidents on National Highways as law and order comes under the state governments.

Gadkari on Thursday will inaugurate a three-day conference cum public Expo Manthan in Bengaluru to anchor discussions across multiple issues and opportunities in the infrastructure sector.?

In addition, the 41st Meeting of the Transport Development Council will be organised during the programme.?

Issues related to increasing the maximum speed limit on expressways and making a law to use only the sound of Indian musical instruments as a horn of vehicles will be deliberated in this week's TDC meeting, he told reporters here.

At present, the maximum speed limit notified by the road transport ministry is 100 kmph on national highways for cars and 120 kmph on expressways.

The minister also said that to reduce accidents, he will ask private competent agencies to conduct safety audits of National Highways.

Last year, Gadkari said he was also studying the sirens used by ambulances and police vehicles and replacing them with a more pleasant tune played on the All India Radio.

The minister also said he is also considering a plan to mandate seat belts for inter-city buses.

Six airbags in 8-seater vehicles

The government is trying to make it mandatory for carmakers to provide at least six airbags in eight-seater vehicles for enhanced safety of occupants from October, Gadkari said on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in a statement said that in order to enhance the safety of occupants of the motor vehicle against lateral impact, it has been decided to enhance safety features by amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989.

"A draft notification has been issued on January 14, 2022, which mandates that vehicles of category M1, manufactured after October 1, 2022, shall be fitted with two side/side torso air bags, one each for the persons occupying front row outboard seating positions, and two side curtain/tube air bags, one each for the persons occupying outboard seating positions," it had said.

"Koshish toh hai (we are trying)," he said when asked whether the government will make minimum six airbags mandatory in vehicles carrying up to eight passengers from October this year.

An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system which interferes between the driver and the vehicle's dashboard during a collision, thereby preventing serious injuries.

Last year, Gadkari in an interview said small cars, mostly purchased by lower middle-class people, should also have an adequate number of airbags and had wondered why automakers are providing eight airbags only in big cars bought by rich people.

His remarks had come against the backdrop of the automobile industry raising concerns that high taxation and stricter safety and emission norms for vehicles have made their products expensive.

Mostly, lower-middle-class people buy small economy cars and "if their car won't have airbags and when accidents happen, then it may result in deaths. So, I appeal to all car manufacturers to provide a minimum of six airbags across all variants and segments of the vehicle," he had said.

Data on road accidents?

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, over 1.55 lakh lives were lost in road crashes across India in 2021 -- an average of 426 daily or 18 every single hour -- which is the highest death figures recorded in any calendar year so far.

A report titled 'Road accidents in India -- 2020' revealed that more than 11 per cent of deaths and injuries were caused due to non-usage of seat belts. The number of persons killed and injured due to not wearing a seat belt during 2020 stood at 15,146 and 39,102, respectively.

More than 59,000 people have died and 80,000 seriously injured in road accidents in Maharashtra in less than five years, the data released by the highway police revealed.

(with PTI inputs)