Helmets for two-wheeler riders in Karnataka from September 1

Cruising through the roads of the cities in Karnataka without a helmet will be a thing of the past from September 1.

For, the Karnataka Government has decided to reintroduce the helmet rule for two wheeler riders in all the major cities of the State from September 1.

The Government decision on reintroduction of helmets comes in the wake of a direction from the High Court following a study conducted by National Institute for Mental Health and Science (NIMHANS) that concluded that a large number of lives lost during accidents could have been saved had the helmet rule been in place.

Though the process for reintroduction of helmet rule began more than a month ago with the Government issuing a notification on the mandatory wearing of helmet not only for two wheeler riders, but also the pillion riders, the authorities put the implementation of the rule on the hold in view of the widespread public discontentment over the rule.

However, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy said the Government was considering a proposal to exempt the pillion riders from mandatorily wearing helmets. A meeting of senior officials from the Transport Department will be convened to finalise the rules, he said. But, Kumaraswamy added that the compulsory helmet rule would come into force from September 1.

It may be mentioned here that the Government has already issued a notification on reintroduction of the helmet rule, which was originally slated to come into effect from August 1. But, widespread opposition from the two-wheeler owners, particularly on the rule that helmet wearing was mandatory even for pillion riders, had forced the Government to put off the implementation.