Now, branded Helmet must in Bengaluru

If you thought just planting a helmet on your head before taking o on your two-wheeler was going to save you from the long arm of the city tra ic police, you are mistaken. Cops now insist that your headgear be ISI certified. Needless to say, parents of reckless youngsters love them for the concern. Hameed Ashraf reports.

After carrying out awareness campaigns for a couple of weeks, the Bengaluru traffic police have now embarked on the mission to enhance two-wheeler rider safety on roads in its jurisdiction. It is stopping and fining riders who are spotted wearing non-ISI, halfface and even open-face helmets! The drive is part of a statewide endeavour to deter riders from using half-helmets and, instead, go for safer headgear of certified quality. The move comes in the wake of a home department directive to police asking them to ensure only helmets with ISI mark are used.

Speaking to News Trail, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) BR Ravikanthe Gowda said that a rider who wears a substandard helmet will be deemed helmetless and hence punished with a fine of Rs 500. This is also true for pillion riders. The rider’s licence will be detained and sent to the RTO in question, with a recommendation for suspension. Suspension might last anywhere from six to eight months, Gowda said.

What is the ISI mark? 

ISI is a certification mark given by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This government agency sets a minimum acceptable standard for all industrial products sold in India. The ISI mark itself assures the buyer that the product in question adheres to all quality, safety and performance norms. It is compulsory for two-wheeler riders to wear a safety helmet under Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The rule also says that the helmet should have a thickness of 20-25 mm, with quality foam. It should also have an ISI mark and follow the Bureau of Indian Standards. Yet, the resistance to safe headgear has always been high. Earlier too there were many such awareness drives and levying of penalty, forcing people to wear helmets. But it is only now that the ISI standard is being asked for in recent times. Two-wheeler riders have frequently cited the “high” cost of ISI-standard helmets as a big deterrent, according to traffic police officers.

“The same people who spend as much as Rs 1 lakh on a two-wheeler become miserly when it comes to the helmet,” said Anilkumar Grampurohith, Traffic Inspector at Chickpet. MA Saleem, additional director general of police, says people riding on the outskirts of the city flout the helmet rules more than those riding in the heart of the city.

What do doctors say?

The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) has conducted several studies on the role of helmets in preventing head injury. According to it, only 44% of motorists use ISI-marked helmets. The remainder use inferior quality helmets just to avoid being ticketed by the cops.

What do the riders say?

A majority of Bengalureans have welcomed the rule and said that helmets are important for two-wheeler riders. Naveen Sachdev, who commuted daily from Mysuru Road to Chickpet, said, “The rule will help bring down the number of deaths due to road accidents. But the government should also do something about bad roads in the city.” 

A group of young commuters cited health reasons such as reduced hearing, hair loss, spondylitis and spinal injury due to the additional “burden” on their head. Some of those who wear spectacles too said they find it difficult to manage helmets. 

Manjunath V, a techie and daily commuter on Hosur Road, told News Trail that the rule is being enforced because catching and penalising helmetless riders is easier than implementing traffic rules! “Traffic police often hide behind big vehicles or trees and catch only two-wheeler riders while ignoring other traffic violations. It seems the easiest way for the authorities to increase their revenue,” he said.

So why is a helmet needed?

A study undertaken by the Bengaluru traffic police shows 651 deaths due to road accidents in the city in 2021 alone. Among them, 328 victims were two-wheeler riders, besides 76 pillion riders.

Similarly, in 2020, 675 people lost their lives due to road accidents, out of which 332 were two-wheeler riders and 80 pillion riders.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, India recorded 1.20 lakh cases of ‘deaths due to negligence relating to road accidents’ in 2020.

Riding without helmet cases registered:

Between January and November 2021, 57.2 lakh cases were booked against helmetless driving. Totally, 85.6 lakh traffic violation cases were registe