[Abhishek3001]

Originally Posted by theredliner

Wouldn't that apply only if one is trying to sell a non-ISI product as an ISI one?

It would still be a misrepresentation of a legally mandated compliance declaration.
It would be hard to prove that you've applied the ISI stickers yourself but cops can still harass you for it or book you for it and then you might have to go through the hassle of proving your innocence.

Originally Posted by theredliner

I believe applying an ISI sticker to a product that I own is no different than applying stickers like BMW, Audi etc. on a Bajaj Auto/a Maruti Alto.

That is different, applying stickers like BMW, Audi etc. on a Bajaj Auto/a Maruti Alto is not like putting ISI stickers on non ISI helmets.
Putting ISI stickers on non compliant helmets is like putting BS-4 stickers on a non BS-4 compliant vehicle and trying to pass it as a BS-4 compliant vehicle.

That being said, I am also against these new standards. In my opinion it'll be better to ride with a good non-ISI helmet and just paying the fine whenever you are stopped because one cannot tell the difference from afar so you will only be checked if stopped for some other traffic violation.

[Axe77]

Does anyone know what exactly is the fine for only wearing a non ISI helmet? I recall seeing imprisonment somewhere but I thought that is more likely (logically) for sellers of non ISI helmets. Seems overkill to be on errant riders.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Its safe to put ISI Stickers in non ISI DOT approved helmets. Just make it look like its not freshly done. How on hell on earth are they going to prove it that its non isi certified. It certainly is going to pass the tests if its run. (dot etc ones) . Just act as if it was there when you brought the helmet and not act fishy finicky. They probably wont have a list of isi certified helmets with them which in case they have we can probably brand ours as a vega or something with model no and isi sticker . They play smart. We play smarter. I am making an isi sticker soon.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Dr_MNC_SK

Its safe to put ISI Stickers in non ISI DOT approved helmets. Just make it look like its not freshly done. How on hell on earth are they going to prove it that its non isi certified. It certainly is going to pass the tests if its run. (dot etc ones) . Just act as if it was there when you brought the helmet and not act fishy finicky. They probably wont have a list of isi certified helmets with them which in case they have we can probably brand ours as a vega or something with model no and isi sticker . They play smart. We play smarter. I am making an isi sticker soon.

If they strictly start to enforce it, wouldn't it be simple for the Traffic Police to be provided a list of brands that are currently not ISI Certified? At least the Top 10-15 brands. So if a cop sees an ISI sticker on a brand that is not certified, it will be clear it is a fake sticker.

[Dr_MNC_SK]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

If they strictly start to enforce it, wouldn't it be simple for the Traffic Police to be provided a list of brands that are currently not ISI Certified? At least the Top 10-15 brands. So if a cop sees an ISI sticker on a brand that is not certified, it will be clear it is a fake sticker.

Thats why I have the other work around mentioned. Simply rebrand our safe helmets to their ISI approved names. Like debadging it and rebadging it into something like SteelBird Pro ISI or whatever is ISI approved. How will they prove that this is LS2. The only way they can is to put it through ISI certification tests which it will no doubt pass. They cant prove its not a Vega or Whatever. I am thinking of doing this soon. I will post pictures once done.

[Axe77]

I do not think ISI sticker will fool cops for long. Having said that, I see no harm in sticking that. You are going to be penalized the same way for a non compliant helmet without a sticker as you might with a sticker. adding the sticker is unlikely to have an increased penalty so may as well try your luck with a sticker. :-p

[joybird]

Originally Posted by Roy.S

With a considerable degree of foresight that might at times be mistaken for 6th sense, I had bought two helmets. One is a RE branded Vega which is ISI certified. The other is a far superior HJC which lacks this hallowed certification.
After a lot of flexing of the grey cells I have a plan. The most cunning plan ever devised by a rider who likes to keep his head intact while simultaneously being a law abiding citizen. My plan is to keep the HJC on and enjoy my ride at speeds which thrill ( within the speed limits, obviously ). All this time, my Vega would be hooked to the rear seat with a helmet clamp. On spotting a police checkpost I shall pull over and switch helmets. Then at a safe speed of 40kmph (considering the limitations of the Vega) I shall pass the checkpost with a nod of acknowledment to the men in uniform who I am confident will smile and nod back.
Having done my bit as a responsible citizen I shall then pull over again, switch helmets and get back to enjoying my ride.

Very nicely put but same cannot be implemented here in Chandigarh as traffic cops are very strict and can be found on every second traffic lights or roundabout awaiting for the odd rider.

[marcussantiago]

Anyone know if there have been any updates on this? People had been telling me "it's okay, I'm sure they won't go through with this" and "we'll see what happens" and since then, crickets chirping.

So to sum up, so far our options are:

1) Printing out ISI stickers (and maybe Vega / Studds / Steelbird logo stickers for maximum compliance on visual inspection). Downside: if the cop calls your bluff, you're in even more trouble.

2) Carrying two helmets, one for protecting your brain and the other for protecting your wallet from challaans and switching them upon spotting a police road block check point. Downside: This is hardly practical.

3) Just sucking it up and paying the fine if caught. Downside: Expensive; and according to the news articles, jail time may be included, so standing one's ground against this may not be worth it unless one is closely related to senior cops and/or lawyers.

I'm considering the first option. I could just import a very drab, simple-looking but good quality helmet from Revzilla (like a plain matte black one with no graphics for example) and covering up the Shark / Bell / Shoei / Arai / etc logo with Vega / Steelbird logo stickers and a big ISI sticker on the back. This would stand up to even close visual inspection from a cop, because it wouldn't look like some flashy cool-looking expensive-looking helmet with an ISI sticker suspiciously pasted on; it would look like a typical piece of crap helmet bought locally. And my precious gray matter is still safe.

Let's do a poll: Which of the three options are you guys planning to adopt?

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by marcussantiago

..
.
.
Let's do a poll: Which of the three options are you guys planning to adopt?

I took a long-ish ride yesterday and passed at least 5 police checkposts but they didn't bother me. At the moment there is no serious follow up. Like with so many other silly proposals, its likely that this too will die a natural death.
The 'jail term" is for selling non compliant helmets and not for wearing them, I think.

[Karthik.guru]

There is no doubt that ISIHMA is aggressively pushing for making all helmets comply to ISI standards and most importantly revising ISI guidelines to cap maximum weight at 1200g. This ensures that any international manufacturer even remotely considering getting ISI certifications won't do it because helmets under 1200g complying to international certifications are quite expensive, i.e. extremely low volumes sold in India. I tried looking for specific statistics to maybe factually prove that profits of Indian manufacturers won't take a big hit due to international manufacturers as their target markets are different but I couldn't find anything.

AFA faking ISI stickers is concerned, it is highly illegal and could land one in jail. Forget the fact that you were wearing an illegal helmet, you just counterfeited a crucial Indian certification. Additionally the helmet is bound to fail the ISI test as it'll most probably be above 1200g (which traffic constables can easily measure on the spot), unless you're wearing a very exotic and expensive lid which is under 1200g which, lets face it, most of us won't be.
I guess most we all can do right now is send comments and feedback to js-tpt@gov.in and keep our fingers crossed.

P.S. The president of ISIHMA is the MD of Steelbird, the largest helmet manufacturer in India. They have everything to gain!

[Rahul Rao]

Why is some one not going the correct way. Aproach a few top international brands, ask them exclusive import and distribution rights, and in return offer to do all the ISI approval formalities.
Taxation works out to 5% ID & 18% GST, there is a exemption on ID if the imported brand is manufactured in any asean member country.
The cost of compliance will be absorbed in the FCL and trade discount provided by the manufacturer in first container load of helmets itself.
Demand for premium helmets is big enough at least in the 6 Metros, plus Pune, Ahmedabad, surat and Jaipur, to set up a distribution network. online sale will easily cover the other cities.



Rahul

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Rahul Rao

Why is some one not going the correct way. Aproach a few top international brands, ask them exclusive import and distribution rights, and in return offer to do all the ISI approval formalities.

Even if this is possible, a large chunk of high quality affordable international helmets will be inaccessible because of the 1.2 kg rule.

[ethanhunt123]

Interesting article in Overdrive by Shumi on the new hair-brained ISI rule

http://overdrive.in/news-cars-auto/o...y-be-bullshit/

TLDR: There is almost no testing done by BIS on existing ISI helmets - and they dont have capacity to even test all the helmets if it is mandated.

This is a totally idiotic dictat - especially the 1.2Kg clause. I am not trusting my head to the crap churned out by likes of Vega, Steelbird & Studds.

[mithun]

If you're against this dumb rule, then Copy-paste this letter into your email, right now and send it to js-tpt@gov.in

To,

Shri Abhay Damle

Joint Secretary (Transport),

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,

Transport Bhawan,

Parliament Street,

New Delhi - 110001

Sir,

I write to you in regard to a recent notification, reported widely in the media (F. No. RT-11012/07/2012-MVL) bringing Protective Helmets for two-wheelers rider under compulsory certification under Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. I welcome this initiative. It will compel manufacturers to adhere to quality standards for helmets, and riders to buy/demand higher standards for their own safety. However, in the process, I anticipate some problems and have concerns:

A vast majority of 'premium' imported helmets ranging in cost from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,25,000 conform to international standards such as DOT, ECE, JIS, SNELL, SHARP etc. Our own IS 4151 is based on ECE 22.05, with some additions. These imported helmets do not conform to ISI 4151, and would, therefore, be ineligible for sale once this notification is in force, despite being made to the highest standard that far supersedes these certifications and used in the most demanding situations world-over. These standards have been developed over years of research and real-world experience in the spheres of motorsport as well as on the street. Such helmets are either imported privately or sold by importers. Our own national motorsport authority -- the FMSCI -- requires the use of SNELL or ECE-rated helmets for use on the racetrack for two wheelers racing and FIA approved helmets for four wheeler racing.

Requiring ISI certification for helmets already compliant with international standards will effectively reduce the choice of safe, high-quality helmets in the market. To this end, I would request you to make relevant exemptions for established international helmet safety standards (DOT, ECE, JIS, SNELL, SHARP etc), so that we in India may continue to choose helmets providing maximum safety. Such exemptions are already in place for fully-imported vehicles, which can be registered by furnishing homologation certificates from other countries. Certainly, this can be seen as a precedent.

Reports quoting the PTI indicate that there is a proposal to reduce the maximum weight of an IS 4151-compliant helmet from 1.5kg to 1.2kg, achieved by making relevant changes to the testing methodology. As in many types of manufacturing, achieving light weight is a demanding, expensive process. Worldwide, a standards-compliant helmet that weighs 1.2kg or less is typically made with exotic materials such as carbon fibre. These helmets are reserved for race use and are extremely expensive, putting them out of reach of the average rider. Also, if a manufacturer does need to comply with these weight restrictions during the manufacturing process, they in turn, would definitely have to compromise on safety provided by the helmet itself.

Most top-rated, proven international helmets conforming to SNELL, ECE, JIS etc will be above 1,300g. Putting an upper-limit of 1,200g for IS 4151 compliance seems infeasible. Certainly, modifying long-established and respected standards simply for a lighter helmet does not seem to be beneficial. I would request that due notice of established international standards, as well as compliant helmets and their weights be taken, before this weight limit is enforced. I believe that the current standard has it right - that lighter helmets are preferred but 1,500g is a good weight.

On-ground enforcement of this notification is also unclear. Thousands of safety-conscious riders in India have chosen to pay premium prices to ensure their helmets meet international standards of safety. Will these riders now be forced to buy ISI-marked helmets? Once again, reasonable exceptions for international standard helmets will achieve the greater goal of eliminating spurious helmets, as well as promoting safety among the two-wheeled population.

I appreciate your initiative in ensuring quality standards for helmets in India. We have been victims of spurious materials and poor enforcement for too long. Arguments against the wearing of helmets such as lack of visibility or greater injury due to low speeds/heavy weight are deflections and easily proved false.

What we gather from the information available, is that this regulatory change will change the business dynamics of the helmet marketplace, by requiring homologation of imported helmets. This is a tiny percentage of the market, and the requirement will likely make selling internationally-acclaimed helmets unfeasible or impossible. The greatest hit will be the customer -- who will now have less choice. As it stands today, one can buy an ISI-branded helmet for as little as Rs 300 from a local manufacturer. If this proposal passes, those helmets will be legal, while the best helmets in the world costing hundreds of times more, will be illegal. It is not unreasonable to ask who exactly is being benefited here.

I request you to take cognisance of these points in your final decision.

Sincerely,

Source

[Karthik.guru]

It has been more than 4 months since any news of this issue has resurfaced. Has anyone come across any updates?