Amazon, Flipkart among 5 e-commerce giants rapped for 'risky' seat belt clips sale

The 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.

New Delhi:The Centre on Friday issued an order against the top 5 e-commerce platforms for selling seat belt alarm stopper clips. The clips violate Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and endanger the lives of car passengers.

As many as 13,118 listings of car seat belt alarm stopper clips were delisted from e-commerce platforms, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said. In view of the violation of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has ordered a crackdown against the top five e-commerce platforms.

Headed by Chief Commissioner, Nidhi Khare, CCPA passed orders against Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Meesho for violation of consumer rights and unfair trade practices. The issue of the sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips came to the notice of the CCPA from the Department of Consumer Affairs through a letter from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH). The letter highlighted the issue of the blatant sale of car seat belt alarm stopper clips and requested action on errant vendors/online platforms and the issuance of an advisory.

The 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 action taken in the present cases assumes significance given that as per the latest report published by the MORTH, more than 16,000 persons were killed in road accidents in 2021 due to not wearing seat belts.

Out of that number, 8,438 persons were drivers and the remaining 7,959 were passengers. Moreover, approximately 39,231 persons were injured out of which 16,416 were drivers and 22,818 were passengers. The report further provides that young adults in the age group of 18-45 accounted for more than one-third of victims in road accident cases.