The helmet broken into two was the obvious clue for police to pursue when inquiring into the death of a 57-year-old Delhi Police sub-inspector in Ghaziabad recently. Ashok Kumar’s motorcycle had crashed into the road divider and he suffered grievous head injuries. Did his helmet meet the Bureau of Indian Standards norms? Or was it, like the thousands sold on the roadsides every day, a cheap and substandard gear that two-wheeler riders buy only to circumvent the Supreme Court order on use of helmets?Helmet sellers that TOI spoke to in Gautam Budh Nagar insisted that the quality of helmets they sold met the BIS norms, but that they bore affordable price tags. “People look for helmets that cost less than Rs 500, so we stock all types of helmets to meet such demands,” said one seller.
But shoemaker Pappu, 50, in Noida has a different story. When his income from mending shoes declined a few years ago, he began jacking up his earnings by selling helmets on the roadside near the Sector 15 metro station. On Wednesday, besides the instruments of his trade, there were 10 low-priced helmets in front of him. “When I saw people riding bikes without helmets, I thought of this opportunity to sell them cheap helmets,” he said. “The fine for helmetless riding is Rs 1,000 and one can escape the fines by buying these cheap helmets.”
Pappu said that the price of these helmets ranged from Rs 100 to Rs 500. “I procure them from Trilokpuri and Kalyanpuri in Delhi,” he revealed. Told that these uncertified helmets would put the rider at risk, Pappu retorted, “Helmets do provide safety, yes, but no headgear can guarantee 100% safety in accidents.”
Road safety expert Balraj Bhanot cautioned against using uncertified helmets that put riders’ lives at risk. “There is a mandate for original equipment makers to ensure that the helmets they supply with the two-wheeler must conform to BIS standards and bear the ISI mark,” said Bhanot.
Anil Kumar Yadav, DCP (Traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar, claimed that from January to September this year, Noida traffic police had issued 12 lakh challans, of which 6.5 lakh were for riding two-wheelers without a helmet. He, however, admitted that police were yet to act against people selling helmets without the ISI mark. He remarked that the riders themselves should be wary and buy only hallmarked helmets.
Without the police deterrence, almost half of the helmets sold every day in Noida are estimated to be unsafe ones. Puran Lal, a roadside helmet seller, surveyed his stock of 55 helmets on sale and conceded that only around 20 were hallmarked. “We order these at wholesale prices from a factory in Delhi. So far, no one has objected to my selling these products,” shrugged Lal.
Pushpendra Kumar too sells substandard headgear with impunity near TGIP Mall in Noida. “These helmets are priced at Rs 200-500 while branded helmets cost up to Rs 6,000,” said Kumar. “The low-cost helmets do not have guarantee/warranty while the branded helmets do. I sell both but have noticed that more people buy the cheaper ones.” He sources the helmets from Loni and sells 4-5 helmets every day.
The sellers said that most of those buying the uncertified helmets were delivery persons or daily commuters. “The buy to avoid challans. They are not concerned about their safety,” said a shopkeeper in Noida.
Traffic officials have also flagged many bikers wearing helmets loosely, often with straps which, they said, was a dangerous practice. A senior officer said that people should ensure that they tie the strap after wearing the helmet. “If you do not tie the strap, it is as good as not wearing the helmet. At the time of an accident, the helmet will fall off first, leading to serious head injuries. If the strap is tied, then it will save the person from serious injuries,” the officer said.
There are shops selling hallmarked helmets too. Yogendra Kumar, owner of Tauji Helmets in Noida Sector 12, said, “A branded helmet gives adequate protection in the event of a crash or impact. They are typically made from high-quality materials and are designed to dissipate impact energy effectively, thereby reducing the risk of head injuries,” said Kumar. “Branded helmets bear the ISI mark. Some foreign made helmets available in India bear the DOT mark – the US Department of Transportation (DOT) stamp.”
S Velmurugan, a chief scientist, Central Road Research Institute, said, “The helmet must be securely fastened to the head of the wearer by means of straps or other fasteners.” That is why traffic policemen often flag down bikers wearing their helmets loosely. “If you do not fasten the strap well, it is as good as not wearing the helmet,” said a senior officer. “When an accident happens, the helmet will fall off first, resulting in head injuries.”
Velmurugan said that people buy and sell unsafe helmets due to lack of enforcement. “People must be made to buy branded helmets only,” he said. The prudence in this statement can be gauged from the fact that 336 people died and 610 were injured in 852 accidents in Gautam Budh Nagar between January and September this year.
