No standard yet for helmets in Telangana

Hyderabad: The Telangana Transport department, having stepped up the compulsory helmet rule for two wheelers, has now identified the issue of a standardised quality helmet that needs to be dealt with.

Currently, there is no standard specification for helmets to be followed by sellers, and motorists thus tend to overlook the safety aspect and instead end up buying “just any helmet” that will keep that traffic challan at bay.

In fact, even partial coverage helmets, which will not serve the purpose in an actual accident situation, can be seen on city roads.

The TS Transport department therefore is working out specifications to be followed and a special committee has been formed for this purpose. There were two prior attempts over the years, to make the rule absolute, but it could not be done due to the problems of specifications.

The decision by transport minister P. Mahender Reddy to take up the issue with renewed seriousness is aimed at enhancing road safety. While the mandate already exists under the Motor Vehicles Act, enforcement has been stepped up drastically.

However, along with the mandate, the Transport department has also identified “quality helmets” as wearing just any helmet is not enough for road safety.  Helmets need to actually protect at the time of an accident. Currently, different varieties and qualities of helmets are available at different costs.

From the cheapest ones for Rs 350-Rs 400 on the roadside to regular ones for Rs 1500-Rs 2000 to branded helmets costing Rs 10,000 or more. The general tendency however is to pick up a relatively cheaper one, for the purpose of escaping a challan as most motorists do not think of an helmet as an important safety gear.

One of the frequent complaints encountered by authorities during the two previous attempts of making the compulsory helmet rule absolute was the problem of sweating, side view being obstructed and uncomfortable sizes.

This time therefore, the authorities will be working out a complete set for foolproof technical details and hand them over to manufacturers  and sellers of helmets.