Free rear seat belts for 431,000 Perodua cars

PUTRAJAYA, July 22 —Owners of 431,262 Perodua cars which are without rear seat belts will get to install the safety belts for free from next year. 

Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said the local carmaker had allocated a total of RM41.8 million to supply and install the rear seat belts for its Kancil, Kenari, Kelisa, Kembara and Rusa models.

Speaking to reporters, he said for security reason, however, the installation could only be made at Perodua service centres.

Earlier, Ong witnessed the signing of memorandum of understanding between the Road Safety Department and Perodua to implement a community-based automative safety programme.

The government had made it compulsory for rear passengers to wear seat belts from Jan 1 next year but cars registered before 1995, which are without the safety feature, were given a three-year grace period from June 1 this year to install the belts.

Ong said last month that apart from Perodua, several other car manufacturers would provide free installation of the seat belts.

He said members of the public were becoming more aware of the benefit of wearing rear seat belts, rising from one per cent previously to 17 per cent at the moment.

"Of course we still have a long way to go and this is just an average figure. In some small towns and suburbs, the percentage is even lower. But there has been a steady improvement," he said. — Bernama