The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has notified new safety guidelines for two-wheelers riders with children as pillion, including a crash helmet for kids between nine months and four years and a safety harness that will attach the child to the rider. The speed limit for these two-wheelers would be restricted to 40 kmph.
The new guidelines will come into force from February 15, 2023. Additionally, flouting these new guidelines would attract a fine of Rs. 1,000 and a three-month suspension of the driver’s licence.
The Central Motor Vehicles Act has been amended to include the new rule to ensure more safety for children riding a two-wheeler as pillion. The rule covers children up to the age of four years. According to the new rules, the safety harness used should be lightweight, waterproof, cushioned, and must have a 30kg load-carrying capacity. The rider needs to tie the child to the safety harness, which comes with a couple of straps that form, to secure the kid during the entire duration of the ride.
The rule also makes it mandatory for two-wheeler riders to ensure that the speed of the vehicle does not exceed 40 kmph when traveling with children.
International Road Federation (IRF) a global road safety body working for better and safer roads has welcomed the proposal by the MoRTH to limit the speed of a two-wheelers with a child up to four ages of age as a pillion passenger to not more than 40 kmph.
“A two-wheeler is more often than not the only mode of transport for lower and middle class families. The new rule, when implemented rigorously, will naturally help curb accidents,” K K Kapila, President Emeritus, International Road (IRF) said.
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