Skip to main content

Safety plan for India’s powered two wheeler riders

Highway sector experts in India are calling for tougher enforcement on helmet use, to boost safety standards for powered two wheeler riders. The country’s accident statistics show worryingly high levels of deaths and injuries for powered two wheeler riders. India is the world’s second largest producer of two-wheelers and these constitute nearly 70% of the country’s registered vehicles. According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), some 28,234 persons (21.1%) of two-wheeler riders have been kill
July 3, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Highway sector experts in India are calling for tougher enforcement on helmet use, to boost safety standards for powered two wheeler riders. The country’s accident statistics show worryingly high levels of deaths and injuries for powered two wheeler riders. India is the world’s second largest producer of two-wheelers and these constitute nearly 70% of the country’s registered vehicles. According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), some 28,234 persons (21.1%) of two-wheeler riders have been killed in 2010, with injuries to the head and neck being the main causes of death. Helmets that meet Bureau of Indian Standards are required by all drivers and pillion riders of two-wheelers. But enforcement is patchy and many riders still go without this basic protection.

Related Content

  • India’s road to safety
    September 5, 2012
    India's growth rate is the envy of the world, and its infrastructure is rapidly improving, but its road safety record is the world's worst. Patrick Smith reports on a conference aimed at finding answers to the problems Ambling through the gardens and marble magnificence that is the Taj Mahal or gazing down on the city of Jaipur from the hilltop Jaigarh Fort is far removed from the world outside.
  • India’s dangerous roads see deaths increase
    January 11, 2017
    India’s road crash rate continues to provide a serious cause for concern. The country’s rate of road fatalities is climbing steadily, as levels of motorisation increase. India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported that there were 464,000 crashes in the country in 2015. Compared with the figures for 2011 of 450,000 crashes, this shows a 9% increase in incidents. Meanwhile there were 136,000 reported road deaths in India during 2011, which increased to 148,000 in 2015. Poor driving is thought to
  • Malaysia’s road safety problem needs addressing
    February 2, 2017
    Malaysia’s road safety problem is a cause for concern. The country’s Transport Ministry has revealed data showing that in 2016, Malaysia figured amongst the countries with the highest rate of road fatalities. The figures show that for every 10,000 registered motor vehicles on Malaysia’s roads, there were 2.55 deaths. One new strategy intended to address the problem being launched by the Transport Ministry is the Malaysia-wide National Blue Ocean Strategy Road Safety Cluster. Meanwhile the Safe Kids Mala
  • Regulating Kenya’s boda boda business
    July 28, 2015
    Kenya’s many motorcycle taxis have an unenviably poor record for road safety - Shem Oirere writes. A state-owned road safety agency in Kenya is grappling with enforcement of new traffic regulations aimed at reducing the number of road accidents involving two-wheeled motorcycle taxis, popularly known as boda boda. The latest statistics indicate that fatalities relating to these vehicles shot up by 58% during the first four months of 2015. Experts have concurred with a previous study by the World Health Or