A big change for riders in Mumbai is coming. The city traffic police department has announced mandatory helmets for pillion riders as well. The rule will come into effect on 25th May 2022. In terms of safety, this is quite a welcoming move, ensuring the safety of both riders on a two-wheeler. Riders found not wearing them will have to pay a fine of INR 500. Hence a similar penalty is now applicable for the pillion rider as well. This rule of wearing helmets for both rider and pillion has been on paper for a while now. It is now being enforced strictly with fines and suspensions.
Mumbai Traffic Police is not the first to enforce this rule. This has been in place in many other metro cities. The practice of wearing helmets for both the rider and pillion does make sense as well. In case of a mishap, the pillion is at equal risk of getting injured. Thus, wearing helmets for both is important. Some of the two-wheeler makers have made it a point to sell a helmet along with a new two-wheeler for the customer from the showroom itself. This diminished the hassle of buying a helmet separately. All these initiatives also go a long way in uplifting the safety standards of the citizens.
Key helmet makers like Studds keep updating and adding new helmet series to their portfolio. Hence, this makes their product even more attractive, thus grabbing the riders’ attention. The Indian government has passed strict laws that help curb the sale of non-ISI mark helmets. Therefore, if you want to buy a helmet, get the one that comes with the ISI mark. Buying cheap non-ISI marked helmets makes no sense, as they are of poor quality and do not add up to increase the safety standard significantly.
Also Read: Penalty announced for non-ISI helmets.