Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

Keeping helmetless people aside, we have basically 3 categories of 2 wheeler-helmet-users:-

1. Those who use ISI helmets of good quality, which are mostly sufficient to protect against direct impacts at city level speeds like 40-50 kmph,
2. Those who use cheap roadside (unlicensed) helmets, the quality of which maybe bad, but it varies from helmet to helmet,
3. Those who use imported helmets which don't have ISI mark,

I sincerely believe that we must end category no. 2 permanently. At best, this cap on the head can protect you from a traffic challan and a small accident, or if someone drops a small stone on your head, nothing more.
There's no need to kill eployment by banning such products, instead guide them towards ISI achievement in their existing products by improvements.

Secondly, there should be a separate ISI license for imported helmets, which may be given keeping in mind its previous creditions like SNELL, DOT, ECE, etc and its safety standard.. but this seems unlikely, given the protectionism we still have a bit.


Also, we should do something about ensuring that helmets are fastened.
I was ashamed to see a racetrack video on facebook, in which a racer barely lost control and the helmet just flew from his head. Luckily, I think he was unhurt as he was otherwise fully geared and the head didn't touch the ground.
If this is the safety standard on a racetrack (no matter which country it was), then God only bless the common commuter.


There have been gadgets made which ensured that the bike doesn't start if the rider has no helmet on. Such things, unless they get planned on a corporate level, they are easy to hack, and Automobile companies need to implement it together to ensure its success. Even then, people will try to hack it, but at least we'll have less casualties on a country level.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

Agreed.
Apart from this i see so many (almost everyone) kids/youngsters riding fast & rashly on their non abs; powerful scooters & bikes with no regard for other road users.
I realy think that there should be a comprehensive regular road safety program at school/colleges to sensitise young minds towards the very real dangers hiding in plain sight on our roads.

Cheers.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

Agreed. This may reduce the accidents by a lot but there will still be some of those stubborn kids who won't have any affect if strict action isn't taken

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

They should ban these 100 bucks and those cap type helmets. Those are rather jokes!

Ece/Dot helmets should be made mandatory! No exceptions.

ISI is easy to get, no point.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

This is something which should be made mandatory long time ago. But still a question prevails, does imported helmets get caught by police walas since they do not have an ISI mark on it? In India that can happen too.... even if you are wearing an AGV

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

Exactly this is what happened when I was on a road trip to Kerala. Law and Order Cops caught us. I was a wearing LS2 helmet and the cops started questioning about my helmet and another rider's MT helmet. They started talking about fines for not having ISI mark on LS2 and MT helmets . We explained them about the helmet for another half an hour and one of the cop tested my helmet by doing a drop test.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

I don't really put much store in advice from anyone who gains from my following their advice. If this came from "Concerned Moms of India", I'd listen... but a helmet manufacturers' association saying "buy more helmets"? Big surprise. If they're going to quote stats... Google ("india population years") tells me that from 2006 to 2016 population in India has grown from 1.16 to 1.32 billion. That's about a 13% increase. Population growth in the same time for people older than 18 (i.e. eligible for license) may be <13%. But then again, with economic growth and urbanization, more people are riding bikes so let's say 2 wheeler riding population has increased 10% in 10 years. An accompanying 10% increase in death rate doesn't worry me (unless I'm selling helmets).

I strongly believe in the use of safety gear but I also strongly believe that we're grown-ups who don't need mommy-government telling us to eat more veggies and wear a helmet. If anything, not enough people using a d*ck helmet (excuse my language) is more of a social issue that affects everyone... the regular helmet just affects me and my near and dear; Population growth affects everybody. And since my hospitalization/death doesn't cost the government or public much, I don't see how it's their business what I put on my head.

So in summary - Please wear a helmet... not because someone told you to but because you love your family and your life. Oh, and "hum do, hamare do".

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

I have got really thick head and skin so I don't need this. I see weaklings riding around with not just helmets but jackets and boots and whatnot and I laugh at their pathetic faces.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India


This is constant argument, whether something like this is a personal choice or to be implemented by the government. On the one hand you are correct in stating that if you don't wear a helmet, it is only you who suffer. But on the other hand, collectively the responsibility lies with the government. The government is questioned as to why so many people are dying on public roads.

Secondly the death rate on Indian roads has always been very high, so your contention that increase in road fatalities is only due to the increased number of road users is ignoring the fact that it was too high in the first place. And that number needs to be brought down. Enforcing helmets will help reduce that number substantially.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

I would be more happy if ISIHMA can demand of recognition of other safety approval ratings such as, Dot, ECE so that the imported / better non-ISI helmets are street legal.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

I hope you are quite sarcastic and not saying this genuinely

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Or maybe their entire motive is to prevent major sale of imported helmets happening now a days in India and ensure that people can't use anything other than ISI helmets made by them...That will be a sorry situation.
But I don't think anything can really happen with respect to helmets. In Cities like PUNE, people just don't want to understand any benefit of helmet and think of themselves as invincible. Other category is totally fatalistic people - they say that helmet or no helmet - anyway when it is decided by GOD that you will die, you will anyway die..

We need to educate people that while nobody can 100% prevent death etc - we can definitely reduce the PROBABILITY of death drastically by wearing helmet and riding gear. There is nothing called as STUPID-PROOF gear and bike/car....But safety devices do save us in most situations not all.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

Are you seriously kidding me? The cop did a drop test on your helmet and by that he could conclude that it was okay for your helmet to not have an ISI mark.
Utterly ridiculous.
The cops should be trained about all the homologations that imported helmet can have and 'THAT THEY SURPASS THE ISI STANDARD' by leap and bounds because their government is more responsible towards their citizens on the street.

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Are you seriously kidding me? The cop did a drop test on your helmet and by that he could conclude that it was okay for your helmet to not have an ISI mark.
Utterly ridiculous.
The cops should be trained about all the homologations that imported helmet can have and 'THAT THEY SURPASS THE ISI STANDARD' by leap and bounds because their government is more responsible towards their citizens on the street.

P.S: Had been a silent reader of forums but this here could not have had let me to not comment !

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The state of affair with regards to helmets in pune is really pathetic. What you explained is entirely correct BUT nothing can be done about this mind-set. The only answer to this mind-set is education/ literacy.

But I kind of do not agree to the fact that this new standard that Indian Government wants to get can really prevent sale of international brands, I feel that international brands can also get their helmets to be homologated to the Indian standard if it sees India to be a market of interest. Just like how we have some international helmets having ECE (for European Market) and DOT (for American Market) both on the same shell. Besides I am sure the cost associated to get ISI marking from labs is going to to be pretty inconsiderable given the cost to get an ECE/DOT certification ! Don't you think ?

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

Riding/Driving Etiquette programs should be introduced. People learn from someone (parents, friends, cousins) who only teach to ride/drive whereas, the etiquette's & safety concerns are given least priority.

Re: ISIHMA demands Govt. to be made Helmets mandatory in all over India

In India any law starts with very good intention but very soon it gets used in very weird way that no law maker originally thought about. E.g. we have laws that recognize that women have been abused by men in significant numbers and hence to protect women there are very huge number of supporting provisions but now there is nothing to save a man from any woman who decides to abuse one-sidedness of these laws and harass a man.

Similarly, by making ISI helmet mandatory, government may or may not succeed in putting a good helmet of every head. But our great police can always punish people who already have a good helmet on their head just because it is not ISI - even though it is clearly way better than ISI.

While making the law itself, provision should clearly state that riders must wear helmets which are ISI standard or higher such as ECE, DOT etc which are worldwide recognized - these should be recognized by our government also.

In Pune, to make helmet or any road discipline a success only one option is useful (very unfortunately i have to say so) - impose ARMY RULE on TRAFFIC for just 3-4 months. When anyone breaks any rule, Army man (well armed with high grade weapon) simply slaps the person hard and deflates the tyres, tows away the vehicle. Offender will simply pay actual bill of towing plus Rs 1000/- fine. Should get back the vehicle only after 3 days. Anyone arguing with army man (very few would dare) should get couple of extra slaps - rest is same. The offender will be responsible for his/her own health issues after getting slapped by the strong hand of army man!!
I don't think typical political and goons will ever try to either brow beat or bribe army person - any such attempt shall attract 1-2 more slaps in front of all public.

Hope you like these ideas