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One of the greatest inventions in the automotive industry has been the seat belt, thanks to Volvo. Over the years it has saved thousands, if not millions of lives. Every driver and front passenger in a car has this passive safety protection system in place. Today, almost all cars come equipped with seatbelts in the rear seats also. No one bothers to use them. In most developed countries, it is mandatory for all the occupants to use seatbelts. Not so in India, the authorities should consider this. The untimely and sad demise of Jaspal Bhatti should have been a wake-up call. Sadly, no one heard that call. Helmets give protection to two-wheeler riders just like seatbelts. It is strongly recommended that both riders on a two-wheeler must wear helmets. The pillion riders skull is as vulnerable as the drivers.
Most mo-bikers have helmets which are farzi. They are bought from road-side vendors and carried on the arm. In case of a police check post, the rider slips the helmet over his head. Chances are the strap is loose. The whole purpose of wearing a helmet is defeated. The minute the rider hits the ground, the helmet flies off and the head is smashed into the tarmac. Dead end on a long open road. Even if the helmet was strapped, there is another danger with the road-side purchase. They are sub-standard and do not meet ISI standards. These helmets are made of hard plastic and shatter on impact. There have been cases where a sharp shard of hard plastic of the helmet pierced the skull and killed the rider. Rajiv Kapoor, M.D. Steelbird Helmets says, "There are not more than 100 ISI-approved helmet manufacturers in the country. Non-ISI-approved helmet manufacturers are over a couple of thousand!" ISI-approved helmet manufacturers have a capacity of 10 million helmets a year where as the demand is for about 90 million helmets. This means 80 million sub-standard killer helmets are being sold. It would help if the two-wheeler manufacturers were to sell a helmet at the time of the bike sale. Something like this can only be done by the Government. However, the Helmet Action Committee at the Centre has done nothing about it. One of the reasons cited by mo-bikers for not wearing helmets is Indian-made helmets are not suited for tropical conditions. Vietnam, also a hot tropical, monsoon-soaked country customised helmets for local conditions in 2010. Today there is 90 per cent compliance. This is according to the United Nations Global Road Safety Collaboration. Another statistic: 70 per cent head injury cases are helmetless women. Cricket fans will really appreciate this. Helmets and face guards for batsmen were introduced about 20 years ago. Pads, gloves, chest guards and abdominal guards, a euphemism for ball guards, have been around for almost a century. Cricketers had their priorities in the right place. Happy Motoring.
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The
In the last decade, even
week-ender motor sports clubs insist on helmets. No rally sanctioned
by the F.M.S.C.I. will allow a rider to participate without a helmet.
The reason is simple and obvious, they care for your safety.