[marcussantiago]

Only BIS-certified helmets to be made, sold in India for two-wheelers


https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...elers/79450638



New Delhi: The government on Friday said only Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-certified helmets would be manufactured and sold in India for two-wheelers.

This would help in avoiding sale of low-quality two-wheeler helmets in the country, which would help in protecting persons involved in accidents from fatal injuries, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.

"The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways...has issued the 'Helmet for riders of Two Wheelers Motor Vehicles (Quality Control ) Order, 2020'.

"Protective helmets for two-wheeler riders have been included under compulsory BIS certification and the publication of the Quality Control Order," it said.

Following the directions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, a committee was formulated to consider lighter helmets in India suiting the country's climatic conditions and that for ensuring compliance among citizen to wear the helmets.

The committee had experts from different fields, including expert doctors from AIIMS and also from BIS.

The committee in March 2018, after detailed analysis in its report, recommended lighter helmets in the country, and the ministry accepted the report.

According to the recommendations of the committee, the BIS has revised specifications through which it is expected to make lighter helmets.

The total number of two-wheelers being manufactured in India annually stands at about 1.7 crore.

The International Road Federation, a Geneva-based global road safety body working for better and safer roads worldwide, welcomed the road transport ministry's move to bring helmets for two-wheeler riders under the mandatory BIS regime.

"This much-awaited move means the sale of non-BIS certified helmets will be an offence once the notification comes to effect," K K Kapila, president emeritus of the International Road Federation, said.


So... what standards do BIS hold these helmets to apart from "weight"? Why is a lighter helmet safer or better? And how does BIS recognize international certification like CE, DOT, SNELL, etc?

Is this just another corrupt move to push international brands out of the Indian market so we have no choice but to buy the likes of Vega and Steelbird (whose website, for almost a year, literally read "designed to kill", no joke)? What about importing helmets?

It seems that every day this country loses its mind a little more. Combined with the infestation of speed cameras and ever-changing laws / chalaans etc, it's just a matter of time before riding / driving becomes simply too much hassle to be worth it.

[ast.ggn]

Every now and then government wakes up from it's sleep and passes such idiotic decisions, goes back to sleep for few years. More on this topic on a related thread:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ride-...d-india-2.html (Non-ISI Helmets banned in India)

[RiderZone]

This is like the govt. making a law that GNCAP is useless, and only cars tested with India-NCAP will be allowed to be sold, but when you look into India-NCAP, they do no crash testing but just say the car should not weigh more than 1200 kgs

[marcussantiago]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

This is like the govt. making a law that GNCAP is useless, and only cars tested with India-NCAP will be allowed to be sold, but when you look into India-NCAP, they do no crash testing but just say the car should not weigh more than 1200 kgs

Difference being, if you're driving a 1300 kilo car, no cop is gonna check / weigh your car and challaan you for it. Bikers on the other hand are convenient targets to extort for cash :(

[anjan_c2007]

There are court rulings to this effect and the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 specifies the fact since decades. It is law of the land, which specifies that only BIS certified helmets be sold and used by two wheeler riders.

If there is such a ISI helmet specific law and the riders who wear thin plastic sheet made helmets that are available for anything between Rs 150-250 escape detection on busy streets, where a posse of policemen are on duty and CCTV traffic cameras are at work, we can only pray to God to save such souls from head injuries. Some of these plastic sheets over our skulls are weaker than our skulls, which God has made to at least withstand injuries up to a specific impact level.

The manufacturers of such thin plastic sheet helmets usually get their wares sold on the footpaths. It's common knowledge that come any law, the thin plastic sheet helmets will outsell the ISI branded helmets, as has been happening since ages despite a law already in place.

The blame lies with the State government enforcement agencies who allow all these illegally made helmet sales flourish. The Road Transport Ministry makes laws but has no enforcement wings to detect whether their laws are being followed at the ground level. The traffic police and the RTO need to ensure that the low quality, humpty dumpty helmets are banned.

The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988

Section 129. Wearing of protective headgear. - Every person driving or riding (otherwise than in a side car, on a motor cycle of any class or description) shall, while in a public place, wear * [protective headgear conforming to the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards:] provided that the provisions of this section shall not apply to a person
who is a Sikh, if he is, while driving or riding on the motor cycle, in a public place, wearing a turban : provided further that the State Government may, by such rules, provide
for such exceptions as it may think fit.

Explanation: – “Protective headgear” means a helmet which, -

(a) by virtue of its shape, material and construction, could reasonably be expected to afford to the person driving or riding on a motor cycle a
degree of protection from injury in the event of an accident; and

(b) is securely fastened to the head of the wearer by means of straps or other fastenings provided on the headgear.
Corresponding Law. – Section 129 corresponds to section 85 – A of the
Motor Vehicles Act, 1939.

Objects and Reasons. – Clause 129 empowers the State Government to prescribe protective headgear to be worn by the drivers or pillion riders of motor cycle other than a person who is a Sikh wearing a turban and to make such exemption as the State Government thinks fit.

{ * Substituted by S. 38, ibid, for " a protective headgear of such descriptions as may be specified by the State Government by rules made by it in this behalf, and different descriptions of headgears may be specified in such rules in relation to different circumstances or different class or description of motor cycles" (w.e.f. 14-11-1994)}

[swiftnfurious]

Honesty, we are bothering too much about this. Either they should allow a ISI certification for import helmets or ensure helmets of that grade to be leisurely available across the country.

If I am forced upon this rule, I'll buy a good helmet and patch an ISI sticker on it for the "rules" sake. An additional Rs. 50/- spend?!