India / Govt unveils draft rules for safety of kids below 4 yrs carried on motorcycles

New Delhi: India's journey to generally better levels of road safety may have been slow and rife with challenges, but we must accept that the authorities have tried. In fact, the government of India is set to add yet another set of efforts to this list; the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently published a new set of draft notifications which are aimed at ensuring better safety for our little ones. Draft GSR 758 (E), published on 21 October 2021, proposes a variety of measures including speed limits along with other safety guidelines which will be applicable for two-wheelers carrying young children as pillion riders. Bravo, MoRTH!

Here is a look at the new road safety rules and guidelines proposed via the aforementioned draft notification:

For children below four years, a safety harness must be used to carry the child. This harness will be attached to the driver of the two-wheeler.

A child pillion rider aged between 09 months and 4 years must wear either a crash helmet or a bicycle helmet which is properly fits the child's head and is compliant with either the ASTM 1447 or European (CEN)BS EN 1080/BS EN 1078 standards. These standards will be applicable till India prescribes its own specifications and standards for such helmets. 

Any two-wheeler carrying a child up to the age of 4 years as a pillion shall not drive over 40 km/h.

There is absolutely no denying that these rules are both desperately-needed and quite welcome. However, efforts must NOT stop at simply introduction of rules and guidelines. No, sir; the government of India must also be as dedicated to the implementation of such road safety rules. Unfortunately implementation is a department where we still have so much more to do.