Jamshedpur: Many two-wheeler owners who buy substandard helmets to save themselves a few bucks as well as the traffic police fine, pay with their life. But, that's set to change.
City police have decided to crack the whip on motorists who use cheap helmets that do not conform to the standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Informing this on Saturday, SP (city) Prabhat Kumar said the drive to check 'ISI' labels on helmets would start from next week. "We have seen that a large number of riders use substandard helmets, which are basically plastic caps, to hoodwink policemen during helmet-checking drives. From next week, we would start checking for the ISI mark on the head-gear. People who use cheap helmets would be fined," the city SP told The Telegraph.
The decision comes after an alarming rise in the number of road mishaps in the city. Recent accidents have shown that riders using sturdy helmets have survived head injuries. In contrast, low-quality helmets have cracked under impact, causing head injury to wearers. "In most cases, riders sustain fatal head injuries because of the substandard helmets which break to pieces after hitting the ground. But helmets which conform to 'ISI' standard protect the head to a large extent," the senior police officer said.
Cheap and substandard helmets are sold on push-carts in areas where police conduct helmet checking drives. Such helmets are available at a price that range from Rs 75 to Rs 200. But a helmet with an 'ISI' mark costs at least Rs 800.
Figures provided by the traffic police office stated that although 95 per cent of over three lakh two-wheeler riders wear helmets, only 25 per cent use sturdy helmets approved by the ISI.
Frequent helmet checking drives in the city have significantly reduced the number of fatal mishaps. "Six people have died of road mishaps in the city in the past two months. And all those died were not wearing helmets," Kumar said, adding that they were targeting to bring down the fatalities to zero.
In Ranchi, traffic police have adopted a new strategy of sending notices to the residences of helmet-less riders. "It is being done to impact the psyche of erring riders," a senior police officer said.
