Chennai: Sales of helmets have been on an upward trend following the Madras high court order making wearing of the headgear for all two-wheeler riders mandatory from July 1, 2015. Since June 8 when the court passed its order, well-known helmet outlets have seen their sales more than double. “We are selling 80-100 helmets a day, from 40-50 earlier,” said Mohammed Barbhaya, owner of Head Gear, a helmet chain that has branches on Anna Salai, T. Nagar and Santhome.
He said many customers were first time buyers. Online sellers are also witnessing huge demand for helmets from Tamil Nadu. A spokesperson at e-commerce major Snapdeal said the company has seen a phenomenal increase in the demand for helmets from Tamil Nadu during the past three weeks. Customers do prefer inexpensive, locally made helmets over those with ISI mark of quality or imported branded helmets.
A helmet with the ISI stamp can cost between Rs 650 and Rs 10,000, while a local one is available for Rs 200 or more. Wearing cheap helmets can be risky, warn sellers, as only high-quality headgears can give adequate protection. But most customers are buying a helmet fearing police action. According to V. Muthu, a helmet seller at Anna Nagar, the lower and medium categories are witnessing brisk sales. “About 60 per cent customers are opting for helmets priced in the range of Rs 300-500,” he said.
Helmet brands such as Studds, Vega and Steelbird are priced over Rs 800. Sales for Studds, for instance, have increased 20 per cent, said Riyas Mohammed, manager of S.R. Linings Helmets Kovilambakkam, which sells only leading brands. There is a lack of awareness among the public about the need to wear helmets, said Mohammed. “Mere rules are not adequate. Most people have not realized the safety aspect clearly. Customers do not want to invest in helmets,” he said.
“To make people wear good quality helmets, the government has to run awareness campaigns on the safety that helmets provide. Only then this drive will become fruitful,” he said. With demand increasing, sellers are facing supply shortages. T. George Kutty, who runs Jijo Helmets at Vadapalani, said there is not enough supply in the local helmets and kids category.
Chennai Police to charge rule breakers from July 1
The Chennai police will be strictly enforcing the mandatory rule of wearing helmets from July 1, 2015, a press release from the city police commissioner’s office said. If any person driving a two-wheeler or the pillion rider is found not wearing a helmet, they will be charged under the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act,1988, and as per the directions issued by the High Court the original valid Driving License and the original Vehicle Registration Certificate will be impounded under due acknowledgement and forwarded to the jurisdictional Court for further process.
“Xerox copies of driving licence, vehicle registration certificate and other documents will not be accepted,” the release said. In case of not providing documents in original, the two-wheeler will be detained as per the provisions of section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and will be kept at the jurisdiction police station under due acknowledgement. The violator will have to produce original documents (driving licence and vehicle registration certificate) along with the acknowledgement receipt issued by the police officer between 10 am and 5 pm at the relevant traffic police station.
The violators will also have to produce a new ISI certified helmet with purchase receipt before the jurisdiction court and retrieve their original documents as per the procedure enlisted in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
