VADODARA: Next time you walk into a showroom to buy a two-wheeler in the city, you will have to mandatorily buy a helmet too.
City police commissioner Shamsher Singh has directed the traffic department to implement the rule wherein the two-wheeler firms have to give helmet with the vehicle. The decision was taken during the Road Safety Council meeting two days ago.
The move came after the cops realized that most showrooms selling two-wheelers were not giving helmets to the customers. “Many of them gave a discount of a few thousand rupees to the customer and suggested they buy a helmet. But that won’t ensure that the customer will buy the helmet,” Singh told TOI.
“So, I have asked the traffic department to implement the rule strictly. Our teams will now make surprise visits to different showrooms and check if they are giving helmets with the two-wheelers. All we are trying to do is save lives by ensuring that people wear helmets,” Singh said. The police said that many people are happy to get a discount on two-wheelers instead of buying a helmet.
Rule 138 (4) (f) of Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 makes it mandatory for the manufacturers of two-wheelers to supply protective headgears at the time of purchase of two-wheelers. However, the rule is seldom followed across the state. According to the rules, the helmets should be certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to ensure that they are of good quality.
Satyen Kulabker, member of Road Safety Council, said, “Both customers and showrooms are responsible for this laxity. Many times, customers give an excuse that they already have a helmet and ask the showroom management to give a discount instead of a helmet. But the police department’s decision to implement the rule strictly will help in saving lives. Once people are given helmets mandatorily, they are likely to wear it,” said
Showroom owners said that most of the time the customers argue against mandatory helmet rules and insist on a discount while buying two-wheelers.
