To curb accidents, International Road Federation wants GST removed on helmets

To reduce number of road accident fatalities where two-wheeler riders are found not wearing helmets, a proposal has been put forward to slash Goods and Services Tax (GST) on the safety gear to encourage its use. The International Road Federation (IRF) expressed concerns over rising number of deaths of two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets. The agency now wants GST on helmets completely removed. Currently, helmet prices include GST of 18 per cent in India.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) released a report on road accidents in India in 2022. The report says that India has witnessed more than 4.61 lakh road accidents last year, in which over 1.68 lakh people lost their lives. Out of the overall number of fatalities, around 50,029 people were riding two-wheelers without helmets. More than 70 per cent of them were riders.

Usage of helmets is often scarce in a country where two-wheelers sell more than four wheelers. Despite having stringent law against riding without helmets, people are found violating the traffic rule on a daily basis, even in big cities. It has been seen that most two-wheeler riders prefer to purchase helmets that are cheaper in quality and are not adequate in case of an accident. KK Kapila, President at IRF, said, “IRF strongly recommends that there should be no GST on helmets. This will help in making standard helmets more affordable for the masses and discourage them from buying helmets of substandard quality."

According to Section 129 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, it is mandatory for all two-wheeler riders to wear helmets. Violating this traffic rule will attract fine of up to ₹1,000 in Delhi. It could also lead to cancellation of driving licence for three months.

Delhi sees several cases of riders without helmet. According to Delhi Police data, more than one lakh challans were issued to two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets within the first four months this year. The number of violators between January and April 2023 is greater than the overall number of challans issued in the national capital last year.