Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways addressed a Lok Sabha question regarding child safety in vehicles. The response included data on child fatalities from 2018-2022, clarified existing laws and guidelines concerning child restraint systems and safety belts, and addressed plans for modifying existing laws. It references sections of the Motor Vehicles Act, Central Motor Vehicles Rules, and a 2022 notification mandating safety harnesses.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Data Collection and Publication:**
* The Government collects and publishes annual road accident data, including child fatalities (under 18 years), on a calendar year basis.
* State/UT-wise data on road accident fatalities for those under 18 years from 2018 to 2022 is provided in Annexure I.
* **Legal Provisions and Guidelines:**
* Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, penalizes driving without securing children under 14 years with a safety belt or child restraint system.
* Rule 125(8) of CMVRs, 1989, mandates M1 category vehicles (excluding transport and special purpose vehicles) manufactured after April 1, 2015, to have provisions for installing at least one child restraint system as per AIS:0722009.
* Rule 138(6) of CMVRs, 1989, requires drivers of M1 category vehicles (excluding transport and special purpose vehicles) manufactured after October 1, 2014, to ensure children up to 12 years are in appropriate child restraint systems conforming to AIS:0722009.
* **Safety Harness Mandate:**
* G.S.R. 126(E) dated February 15, 2022, mandates safety harnesses for children below four years and specific helmets for child pillion passengers (9 months to 4 years).
* **Enforcement:**
* The implementation and enforcement of CMVRs, 1989, fall under the purview of State/UT governments.
Impact Analysis:
* **Vehicle Manufacturers:**
* Impact: Required to ensure vehicles of category M1, excluding transport vehicles and special purpose vehicles, manufactured after specific dates, have provisions for child restraint systems.
* Action Required: Comply with Rule 125(8) of CMVRs, 1989, and AIS:0722009 standards.
* **Drivers of M1 Category Vehicles:**
* Impact: Must ensure children up to 12 years are seated in appropriate child restraint systems.
* Action Required: Comply with Rule 138(6) of CMVRs, 1989, and ensure appropriate child restraint systems are used.
* **Parents/Guardians:**
* Impact: Responsible for ensuring children are secured with safety belts or child restraint systems in vehicles.
* Action Required: Comply with Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and G.S.R. 126(E) regarding safety harnesses and helmets.
* **State/UT Governments:**
* Impact: Responsible for implementing and enforcing the provisions of CMVRs, 1989.
* Action Required: Enforce the rules and regulations related to child safety in vehicles within their jurisdiction.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: The Indian government ministry responsible for the formulation and administration of rules, regulations and laws relating to road transport, national highways and transport research.
Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari: The Minister of Road Transport and Highways.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India, specifically mentioned in the context of road accident data and enforcement of CMVRs.
Bapatla Lok Sabha Constituency: A Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh, used as a specific region for data collection on road accidents and violations.
Prakasam district: A district in Andhra Pradesh, used as a specific region for data collection on road accidents and violations.
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988: An act of the Parliament of India that regulates all aspects of road transport vehicles.
Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989: Rules established under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, related to vehicle construction, equipment, and maintenance.
Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016: An act establishing the Bureau of Indian Standards, which is involved in setting standards, including those for child safety equipment.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3015
ANSWERED ON 7th AUGUST 2025
SURVEY ON CHILD SAFETY IN VEHICLES
3015. Shri Krishna Prasad Tenneti:
Shri Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy:
Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार् ग मत्रं ी
be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has undertaken any study or survey
regarding child safety in vehicles over the last five years;
(b) if so, the total number of child fatalities in road accidents
across the country during the last five years, State and district-
wise in Andhra Pradesh especially in Bapatla Lok Sabha
Constituency and Prakasam district;
(c) whether the Government has any laws/guidelines mandating
specific safety measures for children in vehicles;
(d) if so, the details regarding the total number of
vehicles/individuals found to be violative of the above
laws/guidelines during the last five years, State and district-wise in
Andhra Pradesh and in Bapatla Lok Sabha Constituency and
Prakasam district; and
(e) whether the Government has any plans to modify/amend the
existing laws to align with modern standards of child safety in
vehicles, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)
(a) and (b) Government collects road accident data on a calendar
year basis from States/Union Territories and publishes the data inannual publication on 'Road Accidents in India'. The State/UT-wise
number of persons killed in Road Accidents during 2018 to 2022
with age less than 18 years including the State of Andhra Pradesh is
attached as Annexure I.
(c) to (e) Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, has the
provision of punishment for whoever drives a motor vehicle or
causes or allows a motor vehicle to be driven with a child who, not
having attained the age of fourteen years, is not secured by a safety
belt or a child restraint system. Both the safety belt and child
restraint system are intended to restrain the movement of the
passenger.
As per Rule 125 (8) of Central Motor Vehicles Rules(CMVRs),
1989, Motor vehicles of category M1, excluding transport vehicles
and special purpose vehicles, manufactured on and after 1st April,
2015, shall have a provision for installation of at least one child
restraint system for all weight groups on at least one of the seating
positions, as specified in AIS:072-2009.
As per Rule 138 (6) of Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, on
and after 1st April, 2016, the driver of motor vehicle of M1 category,
manufactured on and after 1st October 2014, excluding transport
vehicles and special purpose vehicles shall ensure that a child up to
age of twelve years carried in the vehicle is seated in an
appropriate child restraint system conforming to AIS:072-2009.
The Government in the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways vide G.S.R. 126(E) dated 15th February, 2022 mandated the
use of Safety harness for children below four years and crash
helmet which fits his head or bicycle helmet complying with [ASTM
1447]/ [European (CEN)BS EN 1080/BS EN 1078] till such time that
the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards
under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016) for the
child pillion passenger aged between nine months and four years.
The implementation/enforcement of the provisions of the
CMVRs, 1989 comes under the purview of the respective State/UT
Government.Annexure I
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) and (b) OF LOK
SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3015 ANSWERED ON
07.08.2025 ASKED BY Shri Krishna Prasad Tenneti and Shri
Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy REGARDING SURVEY ON CHILD
SAFETY IN VEHICLES
Number of Persons killed in road accidents during 2018 to 2022 with
age less than 18 years
S.
State/UT 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
NO.
1 Andhra Pradesh 330 414 412 381 474
2 Arunachal Pradesh 16 0 5 9 12
3 Assam 138 195 239 282 173
4 Bihar 385 682 641 649 1011
5 Chhattisgarh 284 342 236 346 357
6 Goa 11 8 8 0 2
7 Gujarat 408 362 288 413 444
8 Haryana 353 216 245 189 424
9 Himachal Pradesh 96 90 54 54 73
10 Jharkhand 246 473 193 197 278
11 Karnataka 412 460 309 376 433
12 Kerala 192 171 87 70 143
13 Madhya Pradesh 911 867 717 839 881
14 Maharashtra 465 379 268 373 454
15 Manipur 15 11 9 5 8
16 Meghalaya 0 25 12 24 8
17 Mizoram 4 9 9 5 16
18 Nagaland 2 0 4 2 4
19 Orissa 336 275 219 203 226
20 Punjab 203 979 189 166 157
21 Rajasthan 613 501 396 382 485
22 Sikkim 6 2 3 0 4
23 Tamil Nadu 684 926 499 460 579
24 Telangana 340 285 399 293 306
25 Tripura 11 12 11 6 10
26 Uttarakhand 76 54 28 37 66
27 Uttar Pradesh 2764 2688 1262 1447 1909
28 West Bengal 376 345 284 326 347
Andaman &
29
Nicobar Islands 1 0 2 0 0
30 Chandigarh 11 9 6 5 3Dadra & Nagar
31
Haveli 3 4 3 5 7
32 Daman & Diu 3 3 0 0 0
33 Delhi 84 63 35 22 41
34 Jammu & Kashmir 61 92 41 193 184
35 Ladakh 0 0
36 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 1 0
37 Puducherry 17 8 4 4 9
Total 9857 10950 7117 7764 9528
Note: 1 Data of Daman & Diu is included in Dadra & Nagar Haveli
from 2020 onwards.
2. Data have been reconciled for West Bengal for the calendar year
2019 & 2020 and Tamil Nadu for the calendar year 2018 to 2020.
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