Centre issues order against e-commerce sites for selling seat belt alarm stoppers

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has further directed the five e-commerce websites to permanently delete all car seat belt alarm stopper clips

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Friday issued orders against the top five e-commerce platforms for selling car seat belt alarm stopper clips.

The five e-commerce giants are Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Meesho. (Representative file image)

The five e-commerce giants are Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Meesho.

Authorities found that such clips were being blatantly sold on several e-commerce platforms.

The CCPA has further directed the five e-commerce websites to permanently delete all car seat belt alarm stopper clips and take action against sellers of these products.

“To prevent the valuable loss to life of the public at large, CCPA has issued an advisory among the stakeholders which includes the secretary of MoRT&H and DPIIT, chief secretaries of all states and union territories. E-commerce entities, industry associations and voluntary consumer organisations for wide dissemination to desist from manufacture or sale or listings of car seat belt alarm stoppers,” the government regulator informed.

The ministry of highways and transport had highlighted the issue of the blatant sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and requested for action on errant vendors or online platforms and issuance of an advisory.

“It is imperative to say that 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,” the release said.

(With inputs from agencies)