[TusharK]

Mumbai Traffic Police has issued a notification making helmets mandatory for 2-wheeler pillion riders.



The new rule will be enforced from June 9, 2022. Offenders will be fined Rs. 500. Those failing to adhere to this rule will also lose their driving license for a period of 3 months.



According to section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1998, "every person driving or riding a motorcycle of any class or description, shall, while in a public place, wear protective headgear conforming to the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards, and is securely fastened to the head of the wearer by means of straps or other fastenings provided on the headgear."

The Motor Vehicles Act also has a provision for penalizing those wearing helmets improperly. Riding with an unstrapped helmet attracts a fine of Rs. 2,000.

Link to Team-BHP News

[GTO]

great rule & much needed. Pains me to always see the dude riding the bike with a helmet on, and his girlfriend / wife behind without. Is her head any less important?

The main pain point though will be carrying that 2nd helmet when not in use. E.g. If I'm riding to work solo in the morning, and then picking up my girl in the evening after work. If I ride a sporty bike, it sure as hell is going to be a mess carrying it at the back. And if its an expensive helmet, I'll have to walk into work carrying two helmets.

Leaving the helmet with her isn't an option as tomorrow, an office colleague could be my pillion. The second helmet has to stay with the bike / rider, and not the pillion. I think more than anything, it is this problem that is restricting widespread helmet usage by pillion riders.

[Bhargav7]

Long overdue. Coming from Bangalore, I am a little surprised that this rule isn't already there in Mumbai! Karnataka has implemented this approximately five years ago. I hope all the other states also implement this soon.

[PPS]

Wearing of helmet for the pillion rider was always mandatory I believe, however the rule wasn't enforced for some reason!

[Gaur]

Definitely a good step but need to see how seriously its implemented, shouldn't turn out a way to just make money off happless riders while the serial/serious offenders continue to run amock. e.g https://timesnownews.com/viral/mumba...ticle-91740193

Off late have observed traffic discipline gone to a toss in most parts of Mumbai, south Mumbai may be an exception.

In my area 2 wheelers have become a menace, wrong side riding,signal jumping, Triple seat riding, 2 wheelers without number plates, after market silencers, underage riders have become a norm and regularly cock a snook at the cops.

hope something is done of such serious offences as well.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Mumbai Traffic Police has issued a notification making helmets mandatory for 2-wheeler pillion riders.

The new rule will be enforced from June 9, 2022.

The question is not from when it will be enforced but until when it will be enforced, once the initial moneymaking and enforcement euphoria dies.

While they’re at it, it would be wonderful if Mumbai police also recognised wrong side driving as an enforceable violation. Currently driving anywhere in Lower Parel or many other parts of central mumbai and suburbs is like playing a Nintendo game.

Originally Posted by GTO

Pains me to always see the dude riding the bike with a helmet on, and his girlfriend / wife behind without. Is her head any less important

Absolutely!! Can’t agree more on this. Just last Saturday, I saw a Kawasaki Z800 (I was so appalled I had screenshot the plate - MH12 MM 4159) on the highway entering Bombay around Vashi with the rider wearing a helmet and his female pillion without a helmet, wearing open shoes and a knee high dress!!

If the rider is reading this, I dearly hope he’ll take better care going forward.

The main pain point though will be carrying that 2nd helmet when not in use. E.g. If I'm riding to work solo in the morning, and then picking up my girl in the evening after work. If I ride a sporty bike, it sure as hell is going to be a mess carrying it at the back. And if its an expensive helmet, I'll have to walk into work carrying two helmets.

Not really Rush. I think its a willingness and lax attitude issue - not one of ability or even convenience. If you WANT to do something, I firmly believe you’ll solve for it.

One can easily bungee a spare helmet on the back seat of a sports bike or any two wheeler. I’ve actually travelled from Bombay to Pune with a spare helmet bungeed on my back seat once. It can also be left locked on to a bike back seat or handle bar while you’re away from the bike (again - I have often left my less expensive helmets locked to my bike when out for long runs with the bike parked).

Where our requirements need, if Indian riders can do this,



and this,



… then they can certainly also achieve this.

[JoshMachine]

As is the issue with most of such rule enforcements, it remains to be seen how strictly is this enforced! And what is the political will behind this to do so.

Here in Pune, politicians joined the protest to oppose the helmet rule, can you believe that!

A famous quote from this protest:

There is no need for compulsion of helmets in the city as narrow roads riddled with potholes force two-wheeler riders to go slow

[am1m]

I've posted this before, will post again in the hope that it will change someone's mind, the way these incidents changed my mind.

More than a decade ago, I was working in Hyderabad and used to walk to a nearby supermarket to buy groceries. Sometimes I used to take the bike and those days I was not entirely convinced about helmets, so often used to skip it "for such a short distance where I'll be at low speeds". One of the days when i was walking, I saw a man on a bike panic brake right in front of that supermarket. Very low speed and I can't remember why he panic braked, must have been a dog or something. Fall seemed harmless at such a low speed. But he must have hit his head because he began to convulse and then lost consciousness. There is the slight possibility that he did have a fit on the bike itself, and that's why he fell, but he did hit his head on the road, no doubt about that. Since then I've always insisted on helmets for anyone on my bike.

Around 5 years ago, I used to participate in an amateur way in an adventure sport with a group of friends. Again, I was at the initial stage where I sometimes used to use a helmet, sometimes used to skip it depending on the weather or my mood. Had a small slip-up and ended up taking a very light (relatively compared to what could have happened) fall and impact. Lost 2 front teeth (have 2 false ones now). Luckily on that day I was wearing a helmet otherwise that impact would have been enough to cause damage to my forehead. Now I always wear a helmet. A year after that, another of my friends slipped in a similar way and despite wearing a helmet, sustained cuts on his face and lost consciousness. He required stitches but was ultimately fine, but if he hadn't been wearing a helmet, it would have been a lot worse.

Helmets save lives. No doubt about it. And often they are the difference between getting up and dusting yourself, or having to be taken to the hospital for stitches. Or worse.

They're a pain in the ass to carry and pack and walk around with when you're not using them, but figure it out and do it because it's worth it.

[fhdowntheline]

This rule is going to go away pretty soon as it is too politically inconvenient especially close to the local municipal elections. I am sure there will be negative feedback and it will be withdrawn after a few token days of enforcements. Thats the sad reality of our society.

[Mumbaiker]

A welcome rule for Mumbai. I wish they enforce it with brute force. Too many bikers are without helmet and the traffic police just ignore them. Riding in opposite direction has become another nightmare.
Implementing the pillion also rule is going to be a task for sure.

[sjain2054]

Since Uber/Ola prices have gone bonkers, I have become a big fan of Uberbike, Ola bike and Rapido. In the morning, Uber and Ola show Rs 250 to Rs 300 for 4.5kms to my office and it takes 45mins due to traffic. On an Uber bike, it take apprx Rs 30-50 and 10mins! I love it!!!

Now, with this new helmet rule, I wonder how these services will work. Even if they start providing a helmet, I don't think I want to wear a helmet which has had other random heads in it!!

Its almost impossible for me to carry around a helmet of my own because I never know when I take a bike or a taxi and carrying it around is silly!

I love the new helmet rule but this is certainly a big problem for me as far as Uber/Ola bike and Rapido is concerned.

[Bhargav7]

While I understand the skepticism, I can tell you that there will be people protesting for a few days, but eventually, everyone will get used to that and it will become a way of life. This is based on what I have seen in Bangalore over the past few years. Yes, there are still a lot of people who do not wear helmets, but the situation is way better today than around a decade ago.

Originally Posted by Axe77

The question is not from when it will be enforced but until when it will be enforced, once the initial moneymaking and enforcement euphoria dies.

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

As is the issue with most of such rule enforcements, it remains to be seen how strictly is this enforced! And what is the political will behind this to do so.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

This rule is going to go away pretty soon as it is too politically inconvenient especially close to the local municipal elections. I am sure there will be negative feedback and it will be withdrawn after a few token days of enforcements. Thats the sad reality of our society.

If I understand correctly, you are not okay with carrying a helmet or using someone else's helmet. Let me tell you, your head is way more valuable than these inconveniences .

One idea is to carry a cap which you wear under the helmet. A lot of my colleagues who use rental scooters of bounce do this. You protect your hair from other guys' dandruff and head from the Concrete.

Originally Posted by sjain2054

Now, with this new helmet rule, I wonder how these services will work. Even if they start providing a helmet, I don't think I want to wear a helmet which has had other random heads in it!!

Its almost impossible for me to carry around a helmet of my own because I never know when I take a bike or a taxi and carrying it around is silly!

[steeroxp]

Originally Posted by GTO

great rule & much needed. Pains me to always see the dude riding the bike with a helmet on, and his girlfriend / wife behind without. Is her head any less important?

The main pain point though will be carrying that 2nd helmet when not in use. E.g. If I'm riding to work solo in the morning, and then picking up my girl in the evening after work. If I ride a sporty bike, it sure as hell is going to be a mess carrying it at the back. And if its an expensive helmet, I'll have to walk into work carrying two helmets.

Leaving the helmet with her isn't an option as tomorrow, an office colleague could be my pillion. The second helmet has to stay with the bike / rider, and not the pillion. I think more than anything, it is this problem that is restricting widespread helmet usage by pillion riders.

I would say that rather than every bike having 2 helmets, every person who has frequent 2-wheeler travel, either as a rider or a pillion, should have a helmet. In short, rather than 1 bike and 2 helmets, it should be 1 person and 1 helmet.

[samee_arian]

There are several rules that are a part of the rule book but never enforced or any efforts made so that general public are encouraged to follow. Also implementation generally remains on paper or conveniently ignored and is restricted on news articles or placards and stickers pasted at random places. On contrary we get to see many serious riders who generally kit up and are stopped by traffic police on suspicions of racing more due to malicious intents of cops trying to make a quick buck. Onus lies on us on general public to understand importance of personal safety kit, especially use of ISI certified helmets and not the cheap things sold on road sides just to comply the rules and escape form traffic fines.

[iamahunter]

I agree with the safety part and have no arguments on that.

The issue now is going to be storing that 2nd helmet "cleanly" for a random use. For me I never have kept my helmet on bike even if it would be out of sight for 5 minutes, would prefer to carry it. Now there's would be a second helmet as well, on a motorcycle I wonder where could I keep it safely and cleanly.