“As per the proposed new norms, ventilation over the wearer’s head will become a mandatory element in helmet design, ensuring better airflow for comfort and performance. This requirement will apply to helmets with or without a lower face cover,” said the first person.
This is applicable to all types of protective headgear, including full-face helmets, which cover the entire head and chin, and open-face helmets, which leave the lower face exposed.
To be sure, road injuries and fatalities involving two wheelers are due in equal measure to lack of enforcement of rules making helmets mandatory, as to sub-standard headgear.
Also read | Govt plans nationwide crackdown on faulty helmets to reduce road deaths
Mint reported on 14 January that the government was coming out with EU- and US-type consumer product standards.
Mint also reported on 4 August 2024, about the government’s plans for a nationwide crackdown on substandard helmets as part of efforts to reduce road fatalities.
Road accidents involving two-wheelers are a significant concern. Government data shows that head injuries account for a major portion of fatalities in such accidents.
Data from the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) reveals that with 63,115 accidents and 25,228 deaths, two-wheelers accounted for the highest number of road accidents and fatalities in 2022.
Also read | Mint Primer: What makes Indian roads the deadliest?
This represents a 20.4% increase in accidents and a 10.7% rise in fatalities from the previous year’s 52,416 accidents and 22,786 deaths, as per the MoRTH data.
The new standards will define headform sizes of 500 and 520, suitable for children, and allow helmets below 500 headform size to be used as crash helmets for children under four years old when riding as pillion passengers, provided the speed does not exceed 40 km/h, said the second person.
Headform size refers to the standardised measurements used to represent the shape and dimensions of a human head for helmet testing and design.
Helmet market
According to TechSci Research, the Indian helmet market was valued at $2.12 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.48%, reaching $3.08 billion by 2030.
Also read | Indian roads have become more fatal, shows latest accidents data
Rajeev Kapur, managing director of Steelbird Helmets and president of the Helmet Manufacturer Association of India, said that ventilation should not be made mandatory. He emphasized that in ventilated helmets, there should be an option to open or close the vents, as many people avoid buying ventilated helmets due to prolonged rainy seasons.
“We manufacture almost all helmets with ventilation. However, making ventilation mandatory would not be feasible, as classic helmets have traditionally been designed without it, and we have to keep it as an optional feature,” he added.
Kapur also suggested establishing separate standards for children’s helmets below 4 years of age. “For children’s helmets, we should develop distinct standards. Motorcycle helmets should not be mandatory for children below four years, as their neck are not strong enough to support the weight of such helmets,” he said.
However, Raghavendra Kumar, known as the ‘Helmet Man of India,’ for distributing free helmets to riders, suggested that the government should make head mapping for children mandatory as wearing helmets without proper head mapping can be dangerous. He explained that a portion of the impact energy is absorbed by the helmet itself, making proper design crucial for safety.
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Impact energy refers to the force generated when an object, like a helmet, collides with something at high speed. A helmet with a proper head design absorbs this impact energy, reducing the force that reaches the wearer’s head and lowering the risk of injury.
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