[akshay380]

Helmets must for pillion rider - Times Of India

Transport minister Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar told the Goa assembly that helmets for pillion riders on two-wheelers will be made compulsory within two weeks.

Very good move I will say.It does sound troublesome on face but can be a life saver. I lost my uncle in a bike crash, he died on spot with head injuries while pillion guy suffered brain damage and many broken bones. He's still not recovered fully after 12 years. Another friend is in coma since months while the rider got away with broken leg only, thanks to helmet.

[mahesh.kolary]

Quite a good idea, but pragmatic is it?
I have to drop a friend off, n so start off from my place with my friend and the helmet. But what do i do after dropping him off, should I carry the helmet back with me on my bike by looping it around the handlebar or balancing it on my petrol tank. Or is the pillion rider supposed to lug a helmet along all the time, in case he has to climb on a bike.
Bike rides with a pillion are not planned, and thus the idea of carrying a spare helmet around especially on a bike w/o any underseat storage is quite impractical. I guess walking into the office with two helmets is gonna invoke quite some comments.

There can be quite a few hiccups when it comes to implementing the law. Nonetheless, a good step by the govt.

[vibbs]

Helmets for pillion rider has been the rule in Delhi for quite a few years now although women are exempted from it.

I ride an avenger now a days and I make it a point that my wife whenever she joins me on my Avy wears atleast a helmet. At times I have to pick her from her office and I carry her helmet with me. I prefer her wearing a riding jacket too and she does on most occasions. I for one never ride my bike without a helmet, my jackets and gloves. Knee pads would soon join the list. People may scoff at me wearing all this in the delhi heat, but safety for me is of paramount importance. I dont just act safe, but think safe too. For me its not about following rules, its about being safe for mine and my family's sake.

Riding gears may be costly but they are still cheaper than hospital bills and sweat can be wiped off easier than a road rash. I would rather carry a spare helmet with me instead of feeling sorry later on for not carrying one.

I would advice anyone and every one to wear minimum a helmet that too of good quality not to be on the right side of law but to be on the right side of safety too.

Cheers
Ride safe

[rohanjf]

Very good move.
I have observed that helmets for pillion are mandatory in Kolkata too. How do they manage it? Most bikers carry a spare helmet.

How difficult is it to have a bicycle lock to lock your helmet on your bike?

However, the helmet rule (even the existing one) is seldom implemented in the tourist areas. I guess the police will not bother much about foreigners breaking this rule :-)

[AbhishekB86]

Why not? Trying to walk after months in the hospital is much more difficult, isn't it? If your colleagues think safety is funny, I suggest they look at statistics that show how many fatal accidents bikes are involved in. The pillion rider shall not sit in a bike if it is against the law, actually forget the law but if it is unsafe. Like they say 'better safe than sorry' or maybe you could tell the colleagues 'better funny than sorry'?

Safety is important. You are important. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't in the future. Keep another helmet at work if you have to.

Originally Posted by mahesh.kolary

Quite a good idea, but pragmatic is it?
I have to drop a friend off, n so start off from my place with my friend and the helmet. But what do i do after dropping him off, should I carry the helmet back with me on my bike by looping it around the handlebar or balancing it on my petrol tank. Or is the pillion rider supposed to lug a helmet along all the time, in case he has to climb on a bike.

[naveenroy]

Sad that "safety" has to be imposed on us! It is a hassle to carry an extra helmet - agreed. But it was a hassle when they "imposed" the helmet rule also. People still rue about their hair getting messed etc. I'd just ask - would it be better for the undertaker to take care of the hair?

I just wish they would make this compulsory all over the country!

[akshay380]

Mostly my pillion is my gf and helmet was absolutely mandatory for her from first ride, day one. Earlier she protested a lot but by chance we witnessed couple of bike crashes live and she herself saw what was the result of not wearing/wearing the helmet. Now no protests. If am going to pick her up, i carry the helmet along and lock it with my helmet. Not a big issue imo. Lot of people laughed at us first but all is OK now.

Interestingly I was stopped by BTP PSI as he got curious about both if us wearing helmet on Goa reg bike. While talking he went on to say that he crashed ten times without helmet but nothing happened to him. I just said, sir my uncle crashed only once. He never got up....

[scuderiamania]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

Very good move.
I have observed that helmets for pillion are mandatory in Kolkata too. How do they manage it? Most bikers carry a spare helmet.

How difficult is it to have a bicycle lock to lock your helmet on your bike?

However, the helmet rule (even the existing one) is seldom implemented in the tourist areas. I guess the police will not bother much about foreigners breaking this rule :-)

As good as it might sound for Kolkata, helmets for the pillion in 90% of the cases are those weirdly small half helmets, in most cases ones which dont even have a buckle, which leads to almost zero protection incase of a crash as the helmet falls off even before you hit the ground. But I'll admit that after visiting Hyderabad recently it seems the word 'helmet' just isn't in their vocabulary. In that respect, Kolkata is better. Especially for my generation[the college going crowd] sporting those helmets of moto riders are now a fashion statement of sorts. Good for them!

[libranof1987]

Ah, good news! There are some people making wise decisions somewhere.

I don't see a reason why a pillion's life shouldn't be considered as important as that of the rider's; a helmet must be worn by both!

What I really appreciate is - all those who rent out bikes in Goa give out helmets as well. I meant, not that they don't have a choice but it is good that they don't fleece customers for it.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by mahesh.kolary

should I carry the helmet back with me on my bike by looping it around the handlebar or balancing it on my petrol tank. Or is the pillion rider supposed to lug a helmet along all the time, in case he has to climb on a bike.

We can have a helmet lock in place and "lock" the pilion's helpmet when not in use and carry the helmet that we use.

Helmet locks are available for as low as 200/-.

It depends from person to person on whether the pain of carrying a helmet around is greater or the pain of some untoward incident in the unlikely event of an accident is greater.

[sgiitk]

Brilliant. Should have been done ages ago.

Originally Posted by vibbs

Helmets for pillion rider has been the rule in Delhi for quite a few years now although women are exempted from it.

Why? Is the hairdo more important than their life, or does some insane politician think that the cranial cavity in ladies is a 'khali sthan', unfortunately it rhymes with Khalistan!

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Why? Is the hairdo more important than their life, or does some insane politician think that the cranial cavity in ladies is a 'khali sthan', unfortunately it rhymes with Khalistan!

Quoting from a news article here Delhi govt does U-turn on helmets - Times Of India

A day after it assured the high court it would consider amending the rules to make it mandatory for women two-wheeler riders to wear helmets, the Delhi government on Thursday did an about-turn.

The transport department said the motor vehicle rules make it optional for women to wear a helmet and it intends to keep it that way. The rules apply to both pillion riders and those driving a two-wheeler, it said.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit and transport minister Arvinder Singh discussed the helmet issue at a meeting on Thursday. It is learnt that they decided to stick to the notification of June 1999 which made use of helmets optional for women. An affidavit to this effect will be filed before the court, government sources said.

The sources attributed the city government's stand in the high court on Wednesday to a "communication gap" between transport minister Arvinder Singh and his officials.

They said the minister was unaware of the submissions made by the department. Lovely is learnt to have pulled up his officials for the "gaffe".

It is evident that the government is in no mood to stir up a controversy, given the sensitivities of the Sikh community on the helmet issue.

A statement issued on Thursday affirmed that "it is optional for a woman to wear protective headgear/helmet as per existing legal provisions under rule 115(2) of the Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules, 1993".

Seems the government does not want to hurt religious sentiments.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by scuderiamania

As good as it might sound for Kolkata, helmets for the pillion in 90% of the cases are those weirdly small half helmets, in most cases ones which dont even have a buckle, which leads to almost zero protection incase of a crash as the helmet falls off even before you hit the ground. But I'll admit that after visiting Hyderabad recently it seems the word 'helmet' just isn't in their vocabulary. In that respect, Kolkata is better. Especially for my generation[the college going crowd] sporting those helmets of moto riders are now a fashion statement of sorts. Good for them!

I somehow donot agree that 90% of the pillion helmets are like that. I agree there are quite a few and to be candid there was a time I used carry one myself so that I can easily put it in my back pack. However I have been pulled over by sergeants and fined more than once for the same. The sergeants here are quite strict about helmets, seat belts and stop line violations. Finally I had got a motocross helmet for myself and used the Vega for the pillion.

[mayankjha1806]

Good move i must say, when we were in Goa, we saw most folks renting two wheelers and not using helmets and this is a serious risk.

Riding Pillion carries the same amount of risk as the driver hence should adhere to the same safety precautions.

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Riding Pillion carries the same amount of risk as the driver hence should adhere to the same safety precautions.

I say pillion is more at risk. The rider at least knows what is coming/going to happen and brace for it.