Helmet - one hell of an issue

The government of India has applied the ban. Today, if someone is found selling or manufacturing a non-ISI certified helmet, then they will have to face the consequences – in this case it will be imprisonment for a year, fine of Rs 1 lakh or both. This order was given out in November 2018, thereafter in 2019 certain rules were laid out for the same. All the helmets sold in India will now have to meet the BIS quality requirements. The traffic cop has every right now to challan a rider if he or she isn’t wearing an ISI-certified helmet. Moreover, the fact that the BIS standards are quite similar to the international DOT, ECE could be something that may be lost on the enforcers. The 2018 ruling meant that someone with an ARAI or Shoei helmet is actually using an illegal helmet in India.

Does this mean someone wearing an imported helmet could be asked to pay a fine by the traffic police? Yes, they will be fined but our traffic cops are so burdened that sometimes even those not wearing a helmet are not challaned. If we talk of getting challaned via a CCTV camera, then it is very rare wherein the certification of the helmet will be visible in a grainy image. Bottom line is that every helmet that is worn today, irrespective of when it was bought, has to have an ISI certification. Currently, most of the superbike showrooms do not stock high-end helmets. If you take Triumph for example, the British manufacturer has stopped selling helmets altogether in the country. When the talks of non-ISI helmets being banned started in late 2018, these dealerships were left saddled with unsold stocks of costly helmets. Unsold inventory is obviously not good news, especially because a huge amount of money is at stake.

While international-spec helmets are usually considered superior due to the extensive tests conducted on them, the government of India is likely looking to promote local makes. Or rather, the Make-In-India policy. Through this, more employment will be generated in our market and exports of the India-made helmets could also happen on a larger scale. Reducing road accident deaths too is a major motto, with the India-make helmets working out to be affordable than the imported ones. Few states had ordered motorcycle companies to provide two helmets with every bike purchase. How religiously this is being followed or do the riders actually wear them is a question to which you and I know the answer to.