Rs 1,000 Fine, No Grace Period — Are You Really Buckling Up in the Back Seat?

Since 19 September, the grace period ended: every passenger on an expressway, front or back, must wear a seatbelt or face a Rs 1,000 fine under a gazette issued last year. Police say the driver, owner, and the unbelted passenger can all be fined, and the rule even covers bus passengers on expressway routes. Supporters point to the sharp rise in deaths where victims were thrown from rear seats and say this is overdue — a seatbelt habit most of us only practise in front. Others say it's unrealistic: many older cars and most vans never had rear belts fitted properly, buses are standing-room only at peak hours, and checkpoints only catch people near toll gates while everyone unclips right after. Has anyone actually been fined for a rear-seat belt, and did the car even have one fitted? Is this changing habits or just adding another checkpoint shakedown to dodge? ඔබ පිටුපස ආසනයේ ඉන්නකොටත් සේෆ්ටි බෙල්ට් දාගන්නවාද, නැත්නම් මෙය තවත් එක් රෙගුලාසියක් විතරක්ද?