Uber has rolled out its new tech-enabled safety feature, the ‘audio seatbelt reminder’ across India, designed to encourage riders to wear their seatbelts to improve safety on the platform.
This feature prompts riders to buckle-in at the beginning of their first five Uber trips and on every fifth trip afterward. Once a rider books an Uber trip and enters the vehicle, the driver’s phone will play an audio reminder asking riders to “please use the rear seat belt for your safety”. At the same time, the rider’s phone will receive an in-app push notification reminding him to buckle-in before the trip starts.
India is the first country where Uber is using a voice reminder and an in-app notification to nudge riders to wear seat belts in the back seat, as a part of its philosophy of ‘safety never stops’.
General (Dr.) VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, Government of India, said, “Over the last few years, India has made progress on improving road infrastructure and network connectivity. It is equally important that we invest in solutions that improve road safety to reduce fatalities caused due to road accidents.”
He added that ridesharing companies like Uber have a significant role to play in promoting road safety. The audio seatbelt reminder is a positive step and will encourage seatbelt compliance.
Commenting on the feature roll-out, Sooraj Nair, Head of Safety Operations, Uber India and South Asia, said, "We, at Uber, believe that our work on safety never stops. The Audio Seatbelt Reminder is yet another technology-led feature that will further our commitment to making roads safer for all.”
As per a report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), more than 16,000 persons were killed in road accidents in 2021 due to not wearing a seatbelt.
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