The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Lightweight full-face helmets are the safest

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 18, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Lightweight full-face helmets are the safest

Staff Reporter

Fancy imported helmets cost between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 6,000 each

SAFETY FIRST: Helmets for pillion riders is a bit difficult to accept for Bangalore's two-wheeler riders. — PHOTO: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: Sky is the limit when it comes to the choice of helmets.

A shop on J.C. Road claims to have 101 types of helmets. But those in red and black colours are a rage among the buyers. High-priced helmets come with fancy graphics and fluorescent colours.

Korean helmets, also called GPR helmets, are a big hit with the traders.

The popular categories are full-faced, open-faced, lightweight, heavyweight and soft or hard cushions inside. Airbrush helmets are another rage.

Thyagarajalu Naidu, owner of a helmet outlet on J.C. Road, deals with only Korean helmets that come with triple colour combination. These helmets are made using carbon fibreglass shells, which make it light. The price range is Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 6,000.

There are helmets made for children with a price tag of Rs. 350 to Rs. 550.

Good quality full-face helmets of popular brands with an ISI mark cost from Rs. 500 to Rs. 900.

Airbrush helmets carrying graphics of an eagle or a skull are preferred by the younger generation.

Shopkeepers advise buyers to go for grey helmets as black absorbs heat. Full-face lightweight are suggested for their safety.

But the rule making helmets compulsory for pillion riders has been talking point among the two-wheeler riders. But traffic experts say the pillion rides are the first to get injured in road accidents involving two-wheelers.

D.S. Jayaprakash, Health Awareness Programme and First Aid Lecturer, supports the rule.

Aravind, a software engineer, who wears helmet regularly, says the rule on making helmets compulsory for pillion riders needs a re-look.

"If I want to drop my grandmother or any elderly person, they can't wear helmets," he says.

Raj Gopal, an employee with the State Bank of India, is in favour of helmets being made compulsory for pillion riders also.

Many two-wheeler riders said that the Government should not keep changing the rule on helmets.

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