Road safety has been an enormous challenge for the Indian automobile industry, particularly in the last few years
In a welcome announcement by the Indian Government, 2 ISI-certified helmets are now mandatory with the purchase of a new two-wheeler. The aim is to make road safety a part of the culture of owning a two-wheeler. We know that India is home to around 5 lakh road accidents each year. These lead to the deaths of lakhs of people. Among two-wheeler crashes, the fatality rate is quite high. A huge number of these are preventable deaths. Let us take a look at this menacing issue in depth here.
Govt Makes 2 ISI-Certified Helmets Compulsory with New Two-Wheeler
In a bid to tackle the issue of fatalities in road accidents, the government has come up with a rather interesting measure. All new two-wheelers will now need to be sold with 2 ISI-marked helmets. This policy was announced by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari at the Auto Summit in New Delhi. Moreover, the Two-Wheeler Helmet Manufacturers Association (THMA) has also supported this step. The President of THMA, Rajeev Kapur, stated that this step fulfilled a long-forgotten need for safety.
Also, this will be a great initiative for grieving families who have lost their loved ones in accidents. They will be happy to know that many such cases can be avoided in the future. The THMA has also guaranteed that it will increase production to cater to the increasing demand and provide quality helmets at affordable prices to the consumers. As per the official data, as many as 69,000 riders die each year in India, out of which almost half are due to the lack of helmets. Hence, the latest government policy is certainly in the right direction.
My View
Nitin Gadkari has been instrumental in the rapid development of the Indian automobile industry. In the last few years, he has brought in many innovative and ambitious policies to make the lives of road users convenient and safe. In fact, he even made India one of the few nations on the planet to have its own indigenous safety rating agency, Bharat NCAP. I am sure that all these measures are bound to make our roads safer than they currently are.
Also Read: Toyota Prado Undergoes ANCAP Safety Test – How Does it Perform?
