In an effort to prevent loss of life in road mishaps involving two-wheelers, the state government will introduce a stateof-the-art helmet. This comes after it was discovered that many motorcyclists are using poor-quality helmets that would not protect their heads in the event of an accident. The West Bengal Motor Vehicle Association will launch a massive campaign across the state from 23 November, urging motorcyclists to use IS 4151:2015 helmets approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

This decision was taken at a high-level meeting held in the Transport Department. The drive will be part of the Safe Drive Save Life initiative launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The meeting was chaired by Mr Snehasis Chakraborty, the state’s Transport Minister. It has been decided that city police and their district counterparts will conduct extensive drives to inspect the quality of helmets. Initially, riders will be advised to use proper quality helmets, failing which they will be fined. A senior officer from the state Transport Department said the state government is determined to reduce road accidents. “We aim to make the state accident-free, and the state government will leave no stone unturned to achieve this,” the officer said.

The officer explained that the new type of helmet approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards will prevent head injuries for motorcyclists in accidents. He noted that many two-wheeler riders often do not use proper helmets. “Many two-wheeler riders believe that wearing a helmet is a casual affair. So they buy poor-quality helmets and use them. These helmets crack during road accidents and cannot prevent head injuries,” he said. However, some motorcyclists, especially those who go on long-distance rides, use proper helmets, gloves, elbow pads, and knee pads.

These accessories are manufactured by two-wheeler manufacturers. City police have already launched a massive drive against two-wheeler riders who are not wearing helmets. Offenders are fined Rs 1,000. The rider is also fined if the pillion rider is not wearing a helmet. “The drive, which was launched before Kali Puja, has been very effective, and twowheeler riders in areas where many were previously seen without helmets have now started using them,” the officer said. “The drive will continue and is expected to yield even better results,” he added.