ISI Mark Now Compulsory For All Helmets In India For 2-Wheelers; 1200 Gm Max Weight Of Helmets?

According to the notification issued by The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), it will be mandatory post 1st june, 2021 for  all two-wheeler helmets manufactured and sold in India to have an ‘ISI’ mark.

All 2-wheeler helmets in order to be legally sold  must receive Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS) certification, according to the ‘Helmet for riders of Two-Wheelers Motor Vehicles (Quality Control) Order, 2020′.

This order is welcomed by two wheeler helmet manufacturers association as a cornerstone decision with the aim of bringing an end to low-quality two-wheeler helmets in the country, further ensuring safety in case of any road accidents.

Statistics About Accidents In Two Wheeler Context

Rajeev Kapur, MD, Steelbird Helmets & President, Two Wheeler Helmet Manufacturers Association said that “As per WHO statistics, about 3,00,000 people died in 2016 in road accidents in India and about 40% of these accounted for two-wheeler riders without helmets,” adding: “Similar data by MoRTH shows that in 2018 about 43,614 people died in India in road accidents who were not wearing a helmet while riding a two-wheeler. The implementation of mandatory ISI marked headgear is a major step for the safety of two-wheeler riders and will go a long way in reducing the huge number of two-wheeler accidents across the country.” 

The Committee And The Revised Specifications

A separate committee of experts from various fields including doctors from AIIMS and also from BIS was formed as per the directions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety and given a task to come with revised specifications which allowed the manufacturing of lighter yet safer helmets for Indian roads.

The committee is positive about the revised specifications from BIS as due to the revised specifications helmets not certified by BIS will be banned and also there are a number of competitors and hence there will be a good competition to produce lighter and improved quality two-wheeler helmets in the country.

There was a specification in 2018, which stated the weight to be less than 1.2 kilograms. However, it was discontinued in the light of the fact that many imported helmets were more than 1.2 kilograms and also did not carry the ISI mark.

There will be no problem for imported helmets considering the fact that most comply with international standards such as DOT and ECE, there will be no problem using it on Indian roads as well as the revised specification allows the sales of imported two-wheeler helmets in the Indian market, as long as it complies with the Indian standards.

This revision is a welcome move. Hopefully it ensures the safety of motorists and offers good protection in case of an accident while giving manufacturers sufficient time to adapt and ensure they get their helmets certified by BIS in time.