BENGALURU: Children riding pillion may have to saddle up and riders will have to slow down to under 40km/hour, as per a recent draft notification from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The notification outlines various safety measures to be taken by riders who have passengers under four years of age.
Narendra Holkar, Additional Commissioner of Transport in Bengaluru, said, “There are many cases of parents carelessly carrying their children on two-wheelers, and these rules will control them. The government has put forth a draft notification.”
So far, pillions, including children, were required to wear a helmet along with the rider. If the notification is finalised, riders will need to procure a safety harness and crash helmet to ensure the safety of a child pillion. In addition, they will also be required to ride under a speed limit of 40kmph. However, the notification only mentions children below the age of four.
The commissioner mentioned that there aren’t any guidelines for children above four years. “It’s not possible to outright ban children under four years on two-wheelers because parents will want to take their children along, and for many families, two-wheeler is the only transport,” he said.
The draft was proposed on October 26 and is yet to be finalised. “There haven’t been any preparations to implement it. It’s a big change so when the rule is finalised, we will start implementing it as the government sees fit,” said Holkar.