Lesson from Cyrus Mistry death: Why you should not avoid seat belt in rear seat

HYDERABAD: Cyrus Mistry, the former chairman of Tata Sons, was killed in a horrific road accident on Sunday, after his car collided with a divider. He was travelling in a Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV. But even the most luxurious car could not save his life because he did not use his seat belt while sitting in the back seat along with Jahangir Pandole, Director, Global Strategy Group at KPMG London office.

Cyrus Mistry and Jahangir Pandole were discovered to be in the back seat of the car without seat belts, according to the preliminary investigation conducted by the Maharashtra police. The accident, as per the police, was caused by the driver's error of judgement and over-speeding. While both front passengers, who were wearing seat belts, survived the collision, Mistry and Jahangir both died on the spot.

♦ The accident serves as a stark reminder that airbags are useless without a seat belt.

♦ If your seatbelt is not securely fastened, your airbag will not inflate.

♦ Although rear seat belts are required in every car, very few people actually use them, giving the impression that the back seat is a particularly safe place.

♦ The passenger in the back seat may possibly be thrown at a force of 40G (40 times the gravity, which means the person weighing 80kgs will be like 3200kgs) during a collision.

♦ If the front passenger is wearing a seat belt and the rear passenger is not, the front passenger is likely to be severely injured (or even killed) during the crash. It is as a result of the rear passenger falling with the weight of an elephant. The rear passenger, on the other hand, has no chance of survival.

♦ To avoid untoward accidents, it is always advisable to wear seat belts when travelling in cars. The Hyderabad Joint Traffic Commissioner A V Ranganath has urged all citizens to wear their seatbelts regardless of whether they are in the front or back seats. Remember that your family is waiting for you at home. Drive cautiously!