CHENNAI: Next time when you are buying a two-wheeler from a showroom in Tamil Nadu, you will get two helmets along with it even if you opt or not.
It is now the duty of the automobile manufacturer or dealer to provide helmets at the time of purchase.
Though the state transport department wrote to dealers in connection with this in March, the latter sought time to procure helmets.
Transport commissioner C Samayamoorthy has reiterated the same to dealers expecting their coordination.
Rule 138 (4) (f) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, states that these helmets should confirm to specifications prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the national standards body.
Recently the Madras high court came down heavily on the state government for not implementing the helmet rule strictly.
According to official data, every third fatal road accident involves a two-wheeler rider/pillion and 73% among them didn’t wear helmets at the time of the mishap.
