E-Paper
Govt revises safety standards for two-wheeler helmets: Here’s what you need to know
The International Road Federation has welcomed the road transport ministry’s move to bring helmets for two-wheeler riders under the mandatory BIS regime.
The government has said only helmets certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) would be manufactured and sold in India for drivers of two-wheelers in order to help protect citizens from fatal injuries.
“Only BIS certified two-wheeler helmets would be manufactured and sold in the country. This would help in avoiding the sale of low-quality helmets in the country, which would, in turn, help in protecting citizens involved in two-wheeler accidents from fatal injuries,” the Union ministry of road transport and highways said a release.
The International Road Federation, a Geneva-based global road safety body working for better and safer roads worldwide, has welcomed the road transport ministry’s move to bring helmets for two-wheeler riders under the mandatory BIS regime.
Here is what you need to know:
1. Compulsory BIS certification and publication of the Quality Control Order is necessary for the sale of protective helmets, according to the road transport ministry’s Helmet for riders of two-wheelers motor vehicles (quality control) order, 2020.
2. The release has said a committee on road safety was formulated for considering lighter helmets in India suiting the country’s climatic conditions, according to the directions of the Supreme Court, and for ensuring compliance amongst citizen to wear the helmets.
3. The committee had experts from different fields, including expert doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and BIS. In March 2018, after a detailed analysis, the committee, in its report, recommended lighter helmets in the country, and the ministry it.
4. BIS has revised specifications for making lighter helmets as per the recommendations of the committee.
5. “With good competition in the Indian markets and with numerous helmet manufacturers, now it is expected that the competition would enable demand for good quality and lighter helmets,” the release said.
