Imported heavier helmets may reach India with review of norms

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has revised the quality standard for helmets, paving way for the sale of imported helmets in the country. The new norms will come into effect from September.

If they comply with the ISI* norms, the foreign-made helmets will be permitted to be sold in India.

The BIS had earlier slashed the maximum weight of helmets from 1.5kg to 1.2kg. The norms on the maximum weight proved to be an obstacle for the sale of overseas models that are generally heavier. As this norm has been done away with, the imported helmets can make a return to the country.

However, the BIS has mandated that all helmet manufactures in the county will have to upgrade and meet the revised standards within six months of the new notification.

After this period, the sale of helmets without the ISI certification will be considered as an offence.

The BIS brought in the new safety norms even as the two-wheeler market is preparing for a radical shift. Experts point out that the COVID-19 crisis is likely to cause a spike in the sale of two-wheelers.

Two-wheeler riders also face the biggest safety risk on Indian roads. As many as 1.51 lakh people were killed in road accidents in 2019 and 36 per cent of these victims were two-wheeler riders. What is more startling is that 29 per cent of these people were not wearing helmets!

* The popular ISI mark has been in use in India since 1955. It stands for Indian Standards Institute, the earlier avatar of BSI. This standards-compliance mark indicates that an industrial product conforms to the Indian Standard set out by BSI, the national standards body of India.