No new two-wheelers to be sold without helmets in Bihar from 2019

patna

Updated: Dec 14, 2018 10:59 IST

The next time you buy a two-wheeler from any dealer in Bihar, don’t forget to ask for a helmet with it. Bihar government is all set to strictly implement the provisions made in the central motor vehicles rules, 1989 in the state with effect from January 1, 2019 that directs every two-wheeler dealers and stores to sell helmets certified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) along with the vehicle.

Customers will have to pay an extra amount for the helmet. Customers who already own a helmet will have to submit their photograph wearing it and submit it to the dealer.

The state government on Friday issued letters to all district magistrates ( DMs ), superintendents of police (SPs) and district transport officers ( DTOs ) directing them to ensure the order making it mandatory for dealers to make available quality safety head gear- helmet.

Transport secretary Sanjay Kumar Agrawal said, the direction was issued in the light of provisions made in the central motor vehicles rules, 1989, and also the orders of the Supreme court's committee on road safety.

Safety during a bike drive is utmost necessary, and the reason behind most of the deaths due to two-wheeler's accidents on roads were because the riders did not wear the helmets.

Agrawal said, " It was concerning that out of about 5000 deaths due to road accidents in Bihar every year, at least fifty percent were of bikers or two wheelers and the reason for their death was their negligence to wear helmets".

Though the bikers in Patna mostly followed the safety rules and wore helmets, those in most of the other districts hardly cared for it. Even in rural areas of Patna, bikers and scooterists are yet to develop helmet- habit, he said.

All DMs and DTOs were being instructed to constitute teams for inspecting the dealers showrooms and ensuring that from January 1 they did not allow any customer to get possession of a new motorcycle, scooter or other two-wheeler without handing over a helmet. Before that, DMs and DTOs are directed to arrange awareness programmes on helmets and road safety, added Agrawal.