After a local tycoon died in a private car accident, Uber asked Indian drivers to ensure that the seat belts in the back seat of the car worked properly.

CTOnews.com, Sept. 20 (Reuters)-days after a local tycoon died in a car accident, ride-hailing company Uber has asked its drivers in India to ensure that passengers can use rear seat belts and that they can work properly.

The move comes at a time of growing road safety in India, the world's fourth-largest car market. In early September, Cyrus Mistry, former chairman of India's Tata Sons, died in a car accident related to his Mercedes, and local media reported that he did not fasten his seat belt in the back seat.

"to avoid fines or complaints, please ensure that the seat belts on the rear seats are easy to use and function properly," Uber said in a consultation to its drivers on Tuesday.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation also said that Uber is conducting inspections at the airport to ensure that its drivers comply with seat belt regulations.

Uber didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

A company representative told Reuters that Ola, an Indian competitor backed by Softbank Corp. Group, has also sent advice to drivers to implement seat belt rules in recent weeks.

At the same time, the Indian government is trying to improve road safety in a country with the deadliest roads in the world through a series of measures.

The World Bank said last year that one person dies on the road in India every four minutes.

India already has rules requiring backseat passengers to fasten their seat belts, but only a few comply. Although a fine of 1000 Indian rupees (about 88 yuan) was imposed for violations, law enforcement was poor.

In most cases, car and taxi owners put seat covers on the seat belts in the back seat, making them unusable.

CTOnews.com learned that Uber told the driver in his consultation to make sure the rear seat belt was installed, adding that "if the seat belt is hidden under the seat cover, please remove the seat cover."

The Indian government also said it wanted automakers to install alarm systems on rear seat belts to force the use of and require all cars to be equipped with six airbags.