Helmet safety, licensing reforms and stricter enforcement are the centre of a new road safety plan.
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A new national road safety initiative, Mission Save Lives 2.0 India, was launched by Steelbird Helmets Managing Director Rajeev Kapur at the National Summit on Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) and Road Safety. The summit, focused on aligning Indian road safety measures with the Marrakech Declaration, included participation from government representatives, researchers, and safety advocates.The initiative aims to prevent 38,000 deaths annually through increased helmet usage, reforms in safety standards, and targeted enforcement. India recorded approximately 1.72 lakh road fatalities in 2023, with two-wheeler riders and pedestrians comprising 65 per cent of the total.Focus on certified helmets and counterfeit crackdown
Kapur said, “Every day, India loses lives that could be saved by simply wearing a real BIS-certified helmet. Mission Save Lives 2.0 India is a national commitment to make these helmets accessible, affordable, and mandatory for every rider and pillion passenger, including children.”The plan will be implemented in phases—starting with Tier 1 cities in 2028, followed by Tier 2 cities in 2029, and reaching rural regions by January 2031. A key component is the elimination of counterfeit helmets, with the initiative citing that 95 per cent of BIS licence holders currently sell substandard products falsely bearing the ISI mark.To counter this, the mission calls for real-time verification, periodic audits, legal action against fake manufacturers, and in-house BIS-approved testing labs at every certified helmet factory.Manufacturing capacity, child safety and policy changes
To meet projected demand for over 130 million certified helmets annually, the plan includes a fourfold increase in production capacity, requiring an investment of ₹6,000 crore and employment for 80,000 workers.
Children’s safety has been highlighted through proposed lightweight, age-specific helmets, with weight limits from 0.72 kg to 1.17 kg based on age. The mission also seeks to make helmets more affordable by reducing GST from 18 per cent to 12 per cent and classifying them as essential safety equipment.
It further mandates that two-wheeler manufacturers provide one BIS-certified helmet immediately, and two helmets per vehicle from January 2027.
The initiative also proposes digital monitoring, annual audits by the National Crime Records Bureau and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, and regular helmet usage surveys to inform policy changes.