CHENNAI: Youth riding high-end bikes will no longer act as the sole handholds for their pillion riders.
The central government has amended the Central Motor Vehicle rules making it mandatory for all motorbikes to have handholds and footrests along with protective devices on the rear wheel serving as 'saree guards'.
Industry sources said the changes would require the altering of the designs of luxury bikes, which do not have these safety features.
On Monday, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified the Central Motor Vehicles (seventh amendment) Rules 2020 and accordingly issued a gazette notification amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989.
As per the amended rules, manufacturers of two-wheelers having a provision for a pillion rider should ensure handholds on the side of the motor cycle or behind the driver seat and should comply with the requirements specified in the rules.
Besides providing footrests for pillion riders on both sides of the vehicle, manufacturers should provide protective devices covering half of the rear wheel to prevent the clothes of the person sitting on the pillion getting entangled in it.
Though these safety features have been incorporated in the Central Motor Vehicles rules since early 2000, vehicle manufacturers produced high end vehicles without safety provisions for several years, said advocate Suresh Souli.
"Now, any vehicle which gets registered as a motorcycle at RTO offices must comply with these safety features for pillion riders. This means luxury bikes should have a handhold and protective device near the rear wheel," added Souli.
Sources said the Centre's decision was a result of the Supreme Court judgment issued in 2018 which mandated safety provisions in two-wheelers.
"Though the majority of two-wheeler brands have got the safety features prescribed in the CMV rules, some luxury bikes are built without these features. Luxury bikes are designed to fulfill the needs of the riders who wish to go for long trips alone and those who want their pillion riders to hold them while riding," said a manager of a motorbike showroom based at Padi.
He said none of the luxury two-wheelers have got a saree guard in the rear wheel. "The manufacturers now have to change the entire design of luxury bikes and it may take one or two years,” he added.
The Centre said the footrests of two-wheelers manufactured from January 1, 2022 should comply with the requirements specified in Automotive Industry Standards (AIS) till the corresponding BIS specifications are notified under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act.