Riding a motorcycle or a scooter without wearing a helmet will now result in a hefty penalty in the state of Karnataka. Transport officials in the state have now been told helmetless riding will attract a 3-month driving licence suspension.

• 3-month driving licence suspension for helmetless riding
• Rs 500 fine will also be levied on violators
• Helmetless riding comprises a big chunk of traffic violations in Bengaluru

Revised helmet rules in Karnataka

As per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act that came into effect in 2019, the fine for helmetless riding was changed from a mere Rs 100 fine to a heftier Rs 1,000 fine and a three-month driving licence suspension.

However, a number of states didn’t comply with the new rules stipulated by the MVA Act, and Karnataka even lowered the fine to Rs 500 following opposition from the masses, and didn’t enforce suspension of driving licences.

In a video conference, the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety directed the Karnataka government to implement the rules as notified in the MVA Act and enforce suspension of driving licences for those found riding two-wheelers without a helmet.

Following this, the Karnataka transport commissioners’ office has asked joint commissioners of all divisions to implement the new rule with “immediate effect".

The need for stringent helmet rules in Bengaluru

According to data provided by the Bengaluru Traffic Police, over 20.7 lakh motorists have already been booked for riding a two-wheeler without a helmet till September this year.

An additional 12.5 lakh motorists have been fined for riding pillion without wearing a helmet, and helmetless riding comprises over 61 percent of all traffic rule violations in the city so far in 2020.