(This article was originally published on November 27, 2020.)

NEW DELHI: Non-BIS two-wheeler helmets will not be allowed to be manufactured or sold in the country from June 1, and violating the rules will be considered an offence. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Thursday issued a quality control order on two-wheeler helmets to ensure that only safety helmets, also known as ‘head injury prevention helmets’, are manufactured and sold in India.

Failure to wear or wearing poor quality helmets is the biggest cause of road traffic deaths among two-wheeler drivers. Welcoming the move, Dr. Amit Gupta, Professor of Trauma Surgery at AIIMS, told The Times of India, “About 45% of road traffic injuries are head injuries, and 30% of those are head injuries, which are severe brain injuries that can lead to death or incapacitation.” It said. “Even moderate or minor head injuries can have serious consequences such as memory loss.”

Proposals for mandatory certification have been under consideration by the Department of Road Transport and Highways for a number of years. Last year, 56,000 two-wheeler riders and 43,600 died without helmets. There is no official data on how many people died in non-standard helmet accidents.

Rajiv Kapoor, president of the Two Wheeler Helmet Manufacturers Association, said nearly 40 percent of the approximately 200,000 helmets sold in India every day are substandard or counterfeit. “In most cases, two-wheeler riders wear plastic caps, which are safer than not wearing helmets. The new rule will save hundreds of lives due to strict enforcement of traffic rules,” he added.

Many countries like India (where more than 70% of vehicles are two-wheelers) have taken up helmet vaccination measures and saved lives. A global study has shown that proper use of certified helmets on the road reduces the risk of death by 40%. Injuries are reduced by 70 percent.

KK Kapila, former president of the International Road Federation, said the ban takes into account the fact that more people are expected to shift from public transportation to two-wheelers in the post-pandemic era, which makes off-standard helmets even more important. He added: “Implementing helmet rules and quality control is the most effective way to reduce deaths among two-wheeler riders.”