ISI-marked helmet rule now in effect: Rs 2,000 fine if helmet not strapped

A rule relating to two-wheeler helmet safety that has been in talks for some years now has now officially been rolled out - two-wheeler users can now be fined for not wearing an ISI-certified helmet. Under the updates made to the Motor Vehicles Act 1998, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has not only made ISI helmets mandatory but also imposed a fine for anyone who is found with the helmet chin strap undone.
If the helmet is ISI certified but the strap is undone, the fine is said to be Rs 1,000. If the helmet does not bear ISI marking, it will invite a fine of Rs 1,000. So, if you're riding around in a helmet that is not ISI-marked with the strap undone, you could be fined for up to Rs 2,000.
"There are thousands of local helmet manufacturing companies that manufacture non-ISI mark helmets. With the announcement of this penalty, people will stop buying such helmets which will put an end to the production and sale of local sub-standard non-ISI marked helmets," Rajeev Kapur, MD, Steelbird Helmets, said.
"More than 10 lakh people die while on two-wheelers due to absence of helmet or wearing a non-ISI marked helmet. After strict implementation of this rule, there will be a substantial decline in these numbers. We see people wearing construction helmets, cricket helmets, plastic caps, etc to avoid penalties. But now people will take this fine seriously and would prefer around a Rs 1,000 branded helmet over Rs 2,000 penalty."
According to Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1998, “Every person, above four years of age, 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.”
In related news, the government had also recently announced that children below four years of age will be required to wear a helmet while on a two-wheeler, along with a safety harness that attaches them to the rider. Also, the rules will bring speed restrictions of 40 km/h on two-wheelers carrying children up to four years old.