Centre takes action against top e-commerce platforms for selling seat belt alarm stopper clips

In view of the violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has taken action against the top e-commerce platforms in India for violating the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 by selling car seat belt alarm stopper clips.

The CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner, Nidhi Khare passed orders against Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Meesho for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practices.

The issue came to the notice of CCPA by the Department of Consumer Affairs through a letter from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), requesting action against the errant vendors and online platforms.

The letter highlighted the issue of the blatant sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and requested action on errant vendors / online platforms and the issuance of an advisory.

Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989

According to rule 138 of Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, it is mandatory to wear seat belts. However, online sales of such items that compromise passengers’ safety by stopping the alarm beep when not wearing seat belts can be unsafe and dangerous to the life & safety of consumers.

Using car seat belt alarm stopper clips can also be a hurdle for consumers seeking claim amounts in the cases of motor insurance policies, wherein an insurance company may deny the claim by citing the negligence of the claimant for using such clips.

On the other hand, using a seat belt acts as a restraint that allows the airbag to provide proper cushion and not hit the passengers at full force which also works as a protective shield in case of collisions.

CCPA took cognizance of the matter after finding that these clips were being blatantly sold on several e-commerce platforms in an easy-to-access manner resulting in a direct violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and posing a high risk to the valuable life of the consumers.

Taking into consideration the severity of the said product on the safety and precious life of consumers, CCPA referred the matter to DG investigation (CCPA). Based on the recommendation in the report and submissions made by e-commerce entities, CCPA has issued directions to the e-commerce platforms where they were directed to permanently delist all car seat belt alarm stopper clips and associated motor vehicle components which compromise the safety of passengers and the public.

“These platforms were also directed to apprise CCPA of the steps taken against errant sellers of such products and submit details of the sellers along with a compliance report on the above directions,” the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a statement.

Taking note of the directions issued by CCPA, compliance reports were submitted by all five e-commerce entities, it said, adding that approximately 13,118 listings of car seat belt alarm stopper clips have been delisted from the e-commerce platforms.

Road Accidents

As per the latest report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, more than 16,000 persons were killed in road accidents in 2021 due to not wearing a seat belt, of which 8,438 were drivers and the remaining 7,959 were passengers.

Moreover, approximately 39,231 persons were injured out of which 16,416 were drivers and 22,818 were passengers. The report further provides that young adults in the age group of 18-45 accounted for more than one-third of victims in road accident cases.

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