Wear a helmet or become yet another name in the country’s road accident death-related statistics. Helmet maker Steelbird has urged the Government to make BIS-certified helmets mandatory to mitigate deaths due to road accidents.

Indian roads have the dubious distinction of accounting for the largest number of road accident deaths worldwide.

According to Planning Commission estimates, the social cost of road accidents in India is estimated at Rs 55,000 crore. During the year, the total number of persons killed in road accidents stood at a whopping 14 lakh.

“To minimise deaths due to accidents , the Government should first make helmets mandatory. There will be demand for almost 100 million helmets in the country,” Rajiv Kapur, Managing Director, Steelbird Helmets said.

Interestingly, Kapur pointed out that in country like Japan, consumers may pay up to Rs 70,000 for a single helmet. Steelbird, which is also OEM supplier for Yamaha, said it is scaling up its manufacturing facilities to meet the demand for branded helmets. The company has facilities in Baddi in Himachal Pradesh which manufactures about 9,000 helmets a day. It also manufactures side boxes for motorcycles.

Kapur said that it has also tied up with Indian Oil to retail its products through IOC outlets.

As a part of its retail expansion plans, the company is in the process of setting up exclusive retail format Steelbird Riderz Shoppe to sell Bureau of Indian standards certified helmets.

The rider Shoppe will be a new concept in India, where bikers will get complete riding gear, including helmets, gloves, jackets, raincoats, sling bags and knee protectors. To be operated through a franchise mode, the company will set up 200 such shoppes in tier I and II cities.

bindu.menon@thehindu.co.in

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