KOCHI: The High Court directive making helmets mandatory for pillion riders on two-wheelers from December 1 has led to a spike in the demand for helmets in the city. However, questions are being raised regarding the quality of helmets available in the market. Though the law insists on using helmets having the ‘ISI mark’, no effective system is in place to ensure this. Roadside vendors selling cheap helmets that allegedly carry fake ISI marks are doing a brisk business post the court order. Buying options are aplenty too.
Sample this: A roadside vendor near Ernakulam North railway station offers three types of helmets priced between `200 and `1,000. The one without an ISI mark costs just `200. “I have sold two-three helmets. There is much demand for cheap ones,” said Babu, a vendor.Frank George, a wholesale helmet dealer, said they were advising customers to only buy helmets with ISI mark.
“The difference between fake helmets and branded ones is just `100-`200. Why should people risk their lives to save this amount?” he said.Statistics say that a sizeable number of deaths in road accidents are caused by head injuries. However, for many two-wheeler riders, cheap helmets are a way to cheat traffic police officials.
Said an official with the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD), “Wearing a good-quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by almost 40 per cent and the risk of severe injury by nearly 70 per cent. The department will try and create awareness among two-wheeler riders in the first week of implementing the order.”Joint Transport Commissioner Rajiv Puthalathu said MVD will check for ISI mark on helmets. The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, mandates that all two-wheeler riders wear ISI-marked headgear.
City Police Traffic (East) assistant commissioner Francis Shelbi said the police had already taken steps towards enforcing the order. “We have started providing awareness on using helmets for pillion riders in the first phase and will commence strict enforcement by December 1,” he said. Shelbi said riders should give prominence to their lives and avoid using substandard helmets.
Know the Act
1,124Death toll
As per the figures available with the city police, 10,088 accidents involving motorcycle riders were reported till September this year. In the mishaps, 1,124 persons lost their lives while 7,705 persons sustained grievous injuries.
Every person driving or riding (other than in a sidecar, on a motorcycle of any class or description) shall, while in a public place, wear protective headgear conforming to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) - Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988