Gazette issued making seat belts mandatory for all expressway passengers

Colombo, October 2 (Daily Mirror) - Drivers and passengers, including those seated in the back seats of vehicles, are now required to wear seat belts when travelling on expressways, following an extraordinary gazette notification issued by the government.

The regulation, issued by Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Ratnayake, makes the use of seat belts compulsory for all occupants of vehicles.

According to the gazette, the driver’s seat belt must be a standardized model with three fastening pointsone running upwards across the body and another laterally across it.

For other seats, including the front passenger seat, the belts must be standardized with at least two fastening points, consisting of a lateral belt across the body, depending on the design of the seat.