Bangalore traffic police fined 3,32,102 riders for not wearing helmets while 1,36,751 pillion riders were fined for the same offence in August 2023.
Five years after a blanket ban on non-Indian Standards Institution (ISI) helmets, they still continue to dominate the helmet markets. Wearing a helmet is compulsory by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. In 2023, so far, Bangalore traffic police has fined more than 41 lakh people for not wearing a helmet or wearing a non-standard one.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in its ‘protective helmets for two-wheeler riders (quality control) order, 2020’ mandated the use and manufacture of only ISI-marked helmets under license from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) .
“As per law, wearing a non-ISI marked helmet is considered as not wearing a helmet at all,” Bangalore traffic police inspector Anil Kumar Grampurohit said.
Wearing a helmet while driving two-wheelers is not enough. It has to be Indian Standards Institution (ISI) marked and must match the standards set by the Road and Transport Department.
Bikers say they prefer buying non- ISI marked helmets as they are cheaper than the ISI ones. The price could range from Rs.400-800 for non- ISI helmets on roadside shops and stalls, whereas ISI marked helmets are scarcely available on the roadside.
ISI marked helmets are mostly available online, in showrooms or dedicated shops and the prices start from Rs. 800 and go up to Rs.2500.
“We fine Rs. 500 for first time offenders and the same amount for repetitive violations,” Mr. Anil Kumar said.
The manufacture and sale of non- ISI marked helmets is banned in the country since 2019. However, these helmets are still being sold and are easily accessible.
A roadside helmet shop’s owner said, “I have all variety of helmets but people buy cheaper ones, just to escape police and fine. I have more helmets that are below Rs. 500. Most people don’t ask for ISI helmets, they just want affordable ones.”
Mr. Grampurohit said “Helmet manufacturers obtain license from authorities by showing sample helmets but eventually, not all helmets they make are up to the standard.”
The two- wheelers helmet manufacturers association was demanding a complete ban on non-standard helmets for years.
“Manufacturing and selling of non-ISI helmets is just like selling spurious medicines where the usage of both non-ISI helmets and fake medicines by innocent people, results in grievous harm or death,” two- wheelers helmet manufacturing association president, Rajeev Kapoor said.
Mayank Lawania, a regular bike rider said, “A friend of mine got into an accident last year and his head was saved because he was wearing a sturdy helmet properly. I feel more than the enforcement by police, we should keep our safety in mind and wear standardized helmets.”
Data by Ministry of Road Transport and highways suggests that 70 percent of people who were killed in bike accidents in 2021, were not wearing helmets.
In 2021, close to 50 thousand people were killed in road accidents because of not wearing helmets. Of them 70.6 percent were drivers and 29.4 percent were pillion riders.
Dr. Rashmi, an MBBS doctor said, “Wearing a helmet correctly can reduce the risk of death by almost 40 percent and the risk of severe injury by over 70 percent. Good quality helmets can prevent impact of crash from affecting head, neurological muscles and eyes.”
