The government of India will soon take yet another step for making roads safer for the two-wheeler riders. The use of the non-ISI helmets will be banned across the country. In fact, the sale of such units will also become a punishable offence. This new law will be enforced by the end of this year.
The announcement has been made in the presence of Nitin Gadkari and Dharmendra Pradhan at the launch of Sukhad Yatra mobile app and 1033 National Highway emergency helpline number. The event was organized by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) on March 7, 2018. Read – Government Bans Car And SUV Crash Guards in India
Now, it will be mandatory for the helmet manufacturers to get the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certificate and follow the ISI norms. BIS asked a concerning Supreme Court panel to ban non-ISI helmets in coming six months (i.e. before the end of 2018).
Promoting sales of the ISS-marked helmets is surely a commendable move by the government. Most two-wheeler users in India risk their lives by opting for cheaper non-ISI marked helmets. The poor quality units don’t offer protection and may cause fatal head injuries or life-threatening injuries. Read – Most Indians Don’t Wear Seatbelts Because Of These 5 Reasons
The stats suggest that the ISI-certified helmets cost between Rs 300 to Rs 400. Parallely, there is a big market of copy or fake helmets that are available at as low as Rs 100. People purchase such units just to avoid traffic fines, and to save a few pennies at a risk of their lives. Around 90 million of helmets are annually sold in India.
Commenting on the new law, Rajeev Kapur, President, ISI helmet manufacture Association said, “We are proud of our policy makers as this was much needed. Looking at the current statics over 75 to 80 percent of helmets used by two-wheeler riders across India do not meet ISI standards, the market is flooded with sub-standard products that compromise on safety despite a fourth of all road deaths involve two-wheeler occupants. We are now glad that government has made it mandatory for all helmet manufacturers to obtain Indian standards certification from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for the headgears in order to reduce road fatalities.”
