OT

why are we freaking out on people not wearing a helmet. I don't really care if people are wearing a helmet or not. But i do care if they drive in a way which causes danger to other motorists.

Finally, its their own head. I think the government shouldn't introduce any rules to this. Let people decide if they want to wear accessories to protect themselves or not. Why should we raise a racket on this?

Is it a little overboard ? IIRC, it's about five years.

it is a must for a person on two wheeler to wear a helmet. i always wear a helmet be it a 500 meters ride or 500 km ride. i have even successfully made my family members to ride with a helmet. even sometimes when i am cycling in mid way sometimes i feel i have forgotten the helmet.
but what pains me to see that many people especially in the age group 40-55 years absolutely don't care to use a good quality helmet or tie the chin strap. if i try to make them understand then then show that they are senior and they know more than us. after a lot of such situations i have stopped telling anyone.
[INDENT]near my place where i stay there is a dav school and the students even at class 8 and 9 are allowed to ride bikes and even their parents gift them new powerful bikes without any regards to safety. most of them ride at 60-70 k mph in even the lanes and most important is that they do not wear a helmet. so it is not the fault of the children or youngsters but they should be made habituated to the use of helmet and also riding responsibly.
@rachit- i am thinking of copying your post and emailing them to all i know.

Lovely article dude. I was looking for one to share with my negligent friends.

No 2 to 3 years is correct

Any references to corroborate your opinion ?

For the best protection, helmets should be replaced after any impact, and every three or so years even if no impact is known to have occurred.

Link : Motorcycle helmet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Under the sub heading : Construction

You can also Search for TUV norms in Germany. Wud Say the same TC. Ride safe

I am sure this is from Gujarat. My god people here need to be educated the importance of helmets.

They will hang the helmets on the RVM and put it on (while riding) when approaching a cross road to avoid cops

Excellent writeup. I too have seen people hanging Helmets on RVMs and wearing them when approaching signals in Mumbai and elsewhere. Even my office people make a face when i enter carrying my helmet and gloves in my hands. Haven't seen many wearing a decent, certified helmet at my workplace too. What can we expect from 18-19 year olds(Not everyone ofcourse) when you see people riding for years wearing such crappy/roadside helmets. People have so much cash to buy the R15s,Karizmas etc but not a few thousands to buy proper riding gear

No emphasis is enough on the importance of wearing a helmet, and proper riding etiquette....both are missing with most riders....irrespective of age or experience..
As some one using a helmet since 1984 I can say with confidence it had SAVED MY FACE AND LIFE MANY TIMES...
I was ridiculed ,and teased many times , for wearing it, because it was not compulsory then and they thought I was trying to show Off .But I continued to wear it.....My head and life are precious, and I educate as many people as possible on this.

@Pradeepa:

Motorcycle helmets are not fashion accessories. They are a necessary part of your riding gear, along with sturdy shoes, a good jacket and hopefully gloves as well. After riding in the US for years and then moving here, I am constantly appalled by the poor safety habits I see here. I constantly see riders with their helmets balanced on one of their mirrors, or hanging from the grab rail. Recently, there was even a television commercial showing a rider who wasn't wearing a helmet, and to get past a police helmet check, the rider wore a watermelon shell. This is the height of irresponsibility.

When riders don't wear helmets, and are then involved in wrecks, the injuries are horrific (assuming they're not fatal). This then has the result of making the public think that motorcycles are not safe forms of transportation, as well as imposing major financial burdens on the families of those riders. It may be your head, but it's my (and everyone else's) tax money going to the hospital to help pay for your surgery. Not to mention, there are several anecdotes in this thread alone (and many more out there on the web) of the consequences of not wearing a helmet. Remember, there are two kinds of riders: those who have gone down and those who will.

I have to rant a little too about the state of motorcycle helmets here in India. I realize that cost is an issue, and income scales are different. However, the quality of helmets produced by Indian companies is marginal at best and criminal at worst. Good helmets are available in other countries for the equivalent of about 5000-6000 rupees. This is not an unreasonable amount for someone to spend on a piece of protective gear that covers their most important body part. Why are helmets like this not readily available here? It's not a matter of technology, as basic helmets are nothing more than Thermoplastic and expanded polystyrene. It's apathy on the part of the manufacturers, who think that because people are buying what they have, there's no reason to make them better. Z1R is a perfect example of a helmet that provides superior protection at reasonable cost. The Z1R phantom costs about $110 in the US, and in a recent test provided better impact protection than the top helmets from companies like Shoei and Arai. It's not sold here, though.

Seriously, when you buy a helmet, do some research. I have seen international-quality helmets for sale at (far too few) dealers here, from companies like HJC and Joe Rocket. Even if you throw down for the Arai RX7, it's still cheaper than a new head.

An interesting news article about various helmet certifications, their relevance and specially snell certification...just some additional info-->>

Handlebars - An Effort to Sort Out Differences in Helmet Safety Standards - NYTimes.com

+ plus a link to download indian helmet standard = IS: 4151 -->>

500 wala helmet ?
Think again

Yes You're saving but for the injuries & operation that a cheap helmet will give you !

Your Head,
Your Helmet,
Your Luck.