Govt wants child lock removed from cabs over women safety concerns

The transport ministry has asked passenger carmakers and equipment manufacturers to seek a solution wherein the vehicles meant for commercial use do not feature child lock system, according to a news report in the Times of India.

The move from transport ministry came in the wake of recent harassment incident in Bengaluru where the cab driver allegedly harassed the women passenger by locking the vehicle’s doors using child lock system.

The government officials at transport ministry discussed the issue with equipment and vehicle manufacturers in a meeting organised by the apex technical committee – which sets standards and specifications for vehicles -- on December 11.

Based on the discussion, the transport ministry said, "Since no manufacturer knows which particular product will be registered as a cab or transport vehicle, the solution has to be at the end when the dealer dispatches the vehicle. The manufacturers have said there are ways out and passengers to disable the child locks before starting the journey.”

Recently, the Delhi government had issued a notice to commercial vehicle owners and drivers to use a sticker cautioning passengers to disable the child locks before starting the journey. This norm comes to effect late this month.

In a child lock system, the doors of vehicle are locked in a way that they open only from outside. As the name suggests, the feature was meant to protect kid passengers from accidental gate crashes by disabling the locks inside the cabin.