In 2016, more than 10,000 two-wheeler riders lost their lives, just because they were not wearing a helmet.
As per Govt. data, 40% of all road accident deaths happen, because of no helmet, or poor quality helmet.
In order to rectify this issue, Govt. of India may soon ban all helmets, which are not certified by ISI and Bureau of Indian Standards.
But, is this feasible?
Govt. of India: Non ISI Helmets Will Be Banned!
At a recent event organized by Road Transport Ministry, and attended by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dharmendra Pradhan, it was announced that Govt. will soon ban non-ISI marked helmets in India.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which certifies ISI mark on all products, has already informed the Supreme Court that the paperwork to ban such non-ISI helmets can be completed in 6 months.
This means, that by year end, no helmet can be sold in India, which is not ISI certified.
The ISI Helmet Manufacturers’ Association has welcomed this move, as they said,
“Looking at the current statics over 75 percent 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.”
But, Is This Feasible?
On the looks of it, the decision sounds perfect.
But practically, there can be several issues while implementing it.
To start with, visually, it shall be very tough to differentiate between ISI and non-ISI mark helmets.
Recently, Bengaluru traffic initiated a campaign to block and catch all non-ISI certified helmets in the city.
But the campaign was soon stopped because the traffic cops were unable to find the difference.
As per Motor Vehicles Act, non-ISI mark helmets cannot be used. But during the campaign in Bengaluru, it was found that several rides used imported helmets, which comply with global safety norms, and are same as ISI in terms of safety.
Can these helmets be allowed?
Bengaluru Traffic has asked Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for more clarification on this matter.
India is right now world’s largest 2-wheeler market, and demand for helmets is 9 crore per year.
A blanket ban on all non-ISI helmets can be a bit tricky decision, as it will take time for riders to buy such ISI certified helmets.
We will keep you updated as we receive more updates.