Police to amend seat belt law soon

The Police will soon amend the existing seat belt legislation requiring motorists to wear seat belts, so that they would be given powers

to issue on-the-spot-fines to offenders instead of the current practice of sending them to Cour ts.

The move came after a group of editors raised the issue with President Mahinda Rajapaksa during a meeting at Temple Trees yesterday. Thereafter the President requested IGP N.K Illangakone to bring in an amendment in consultation with the Transpor t Minister to charge spot fines instead of sending them to cour ts.

Hundreds of individuals who failed to wear seat belts are seen in cour ts on a daily basis.

Police media spokesman Ajith Rohana said under the current law those who fail to wear seat belts are sent to cour ts immediately. “With the intervention of the President the amendment will be effected soon after the IGP consults the Transpor t Minister,” he said.

The Police made it compulsory for every person travelling in the driving seat or the front seat in motor vehicles with English registration num- bers to wear seat belts from October 1 last year.

The penalty for not wearing the seat belt under the current act, would be a fine not less than Rs.1,000 and not more than Rs.2,000 in the 1st conviction, not less than Rs.2,000 and not more than Rs.3000 in the 2nd conviction and a fine not less than Rs.3,500 and cancellation of the driving licence in the 3rd conviction.

Police said the failure to wear seat belts had resulted in fatal road accidents.