According to legal experts, at present, there’s no specific law that states that a person who does not wear a seatbelt, and gets killed or injured in a car crash, would not get the insurance claim. Mostly, in such cases, the court or the tribunal would investigate the cause of the accident and violation of the ‘seatbelt’, rule which could lead to a lower compensation from the insurance company.
According to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the minimum cover mandated under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 are insured under a comprehensive policy. Hence, it does not cover‘gratuitous passengers’ travelling in private vehicles. For such cases, the court will look into all aspects before handing out compensation, including wearing a seatbelt in car, among others.