Child Safety Harness On Two-Wheelers Now Mandatory: Police Official
The Mangaluru City police have recently started to intensify their surveillance on two-wheelers on which parents are seen travelling with their young kids. It has been noted that many parents ride on two-wheelers with such young kids without any safety harness. It has now been stated that this lack of use of a safety harness will be treated as a breach of child safety norms of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Child safety harness use compulsory
As per the Supreme Court of India's order, all children below the age of four years are required to be secured by a safety harness. This particular harness has to be worn by the rider, and the pillion child has to be secured using it while riding on any type of two-wheeler. Additionally, the safety harness must be properly tied around the child's waist to prevent accidental falls or dislodgement during rides.
In addition to this, both the rider and the pillion also have to wear helmets. The helmets should be worn regardless of age, and there should be a proper ISI mark on the helmets, making sure that the helmets have passed safety compliance. Generally, a lot of people in India wear half helmets and other cheap helmets which do not have any safety compliance.
K. Ravi Shankar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime & Traffic), stated, “As per the Supreme Court direction, a safety harness is compulsory for children below four years, and those riding two-wheelers should wear quality helmets with ISI marks, and also tie a safety harness around the child's waist. Hence, people should follow these guidelines and adhere to the law.”
What is a child safety harness?
For those who may not be aware, a child safety harness is a specially designed belt/strap system which makes sure that the young child gets strapped to the rider of a two-wheeler. It is generally used for all children under the age of four years. The primary help that a child safety harness provides is that it secures the child firmly to the rider.
The main reason behind strapping a child with the parent is to make sure that they do not fall during turns or sudden braking. It also distributes the pressure evenly to avoid injury in case of jerks or abrupt stops. Also, the child strapped with a safety harness ensures that the child remains seated in place without the need to hold the rider.
Car safety regulations to be followed as well
While highlighting the importance of child safety harnesses, the DCP also highlighted that safety norms should also be followed by car drivers and passengers as well. He stated that seatbelt use for all passengers is mandatory. It was mentioned that all car passengers, including the occupants sitting in the rear, must wear seatbelts.
Apart from this, it was also stated that the Mangaluru authorities will now also be using AI-enabled monitoring. This will be done to ensure that the authorities are not just relying on manual checks. Rather, they will use artificial intelligence cameras to detect seatbelt and helmet violations, which will help them in automatically imposing penalties. The DCP also highlighted that recently the number of fatalities in Mangaluru has increased, and in 2025 so far, 75 fatalities have been reported.