Head Safety: Fine for Wearing Cheap Helmets too…

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Simply wearing helmets will not be enough to escape paying steep fines. Wearing cheap helmets instead of branded ones is also a crime now.

“Many two-wheeler owners, who buy substandard helmets to save themselves a few bucks as well as the traffic police fine, pay with their life. But things are going to change now. The Transport department and City Police have decided to crack the whip on motorists who use cheap helmets that do not conform to the standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS),” a source in the Transport department said.

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, which mandates hefty fines for traffic violations, has been enforced across the State. Under the new rules, a motorized two-wheeler driver must pay a fine of Rs 1,000 for not wearing helmet. A helmet-less pillion rider will also be fined. A first-time offender’s licence can be suspended for three months and if the Transport department deems fit, he/she can also be sent for fresh training for a driving licence.

Sources said a large number of riders use substandard helmets, which are basically plastic caps, to hoodwink policemen during helmet-checking drives. The Transport department and City Police will now start checking for the ISI mark on the head-gear. People who use cheap helmets would be fined, the source said.

The move has come in the wake of an alarming rise in the number of road mishaps across the State. Recent accidents have shown that riders using sturdy helmets have survived head injuries. In contrast, low-quality helmets have cracked under impact, causing head injury to wearers.

“In most of the cases, riders sustain fatal head injuries due to use of substandard helmets which break to pieces after hitting the ground. But helmets which conform to ‘ISI’ standard protect the head to a large extent,” the source said.

Cheap and substandard helmets are sold at a price that range from Rs 75 to Rs 200. But a helmet with an ‘ISI’ mark costs at least Rs 800. Even though 80 per cent of two-wheeler riders wear helmets, only 25 per cent use sturdy helmets approved by the ISI.

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