The Indian government has issued a notification that only the Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS helmets will be allowed for manufacturing and sell. As per the government notification dubbed as ‘Helmet for riders of Two Wheelers Motor Vehicles (Quality Control) Order, 2020’, the new rule will be applicable from 1st June 2021.
According to the statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), this new rule will curb the sales of low-quality two-wheeler helmets in India. “Protective helmets for two-wheeler riders have been included under compulsory BIS certification and the publication of the Quality Control Order,” the MoRTH statement said.
Geneva-based global road safety body International Road Federation, which works for better and safer roads worldwide, has welcomed MoRTH’s move to bring BIS helmets for two-wheeler riders.
The low-quality non-BIS helmets have been accused of being one of the reasons for fatal injuries during accidents involving two-wheeler riders. The two-wheeler riders are attributed to a large part of the total number of road accidents across the country every year.
The total number of two-wheelers being manufactured in India every year stands at around 1.7 crore units. India is one of the countries in the world with an alarmingly high number of deaths and serious injuries that take place every year due to road accidents.
The central government formed a committee with experts from BIS and doctors from AIIMS. The committee was formed following the directions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. It considered usage of light-weight helmets to suit the Indian climate conditions, which would accelerate the awareness among the two-wheeler riders to wear a helmet.
In March 2018, the committee submitted its detailed analysis recommending light-weight helmets. The MoRTH accepted the report and BIS also has revised specifications to make light-weight helmets following the recommendations.
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