Buy 2 wheelers in Tamil Nadu, get 2 helmets free!

Two-wheeler manufacturers in Tamil Nadu have been directed to give two helmets free of cost to those who buy new vehicles. This order was issued by the transport department as helmetless drive has been the cause of almost 73 per cent of deaths and in total every year year 12,200 persons die in road accidents in Tamil Nadu.

As per rule138 (4) (f) of Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 the sale of protective headgears durin purchase of two-wheelers has been mandated, and with respect to this, the Transport commissioner C Samayamoorthy ordered all new motor vehicle buyers must be provided new helmets meeting the specifications set by Bureau of Indian Standards without any cost.  

As per reports, the two-wheeler count has increased from 82.6 lakhs in 2008 to 2.16 crore in March 31, 2018.  Following the recommendations of a supreme court appointed committee based on the analysis of 2017 road accidents, Union ministry of road transport and highways had fixed targets for reduction of road accidents to 7767 in 2019 and has said that road accidents must not be more than 3572 in 2020. Several two-wheeler dealers have objected this move as helmets cost around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500.