With nearly 6 per cent of road fatalities in the country belonging to the 0-14 years age group, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has released a new draft rule for the safety of child passengers on motorised two-wheelers.
As per the rules, for children below four years, a safety harness should be used for attaching the child to the driver of the motorcycle. Apart from this, the driver of a motorcycle shall ensure the following safety measure while carrying a child between the age of 0 and 4 years, on the vehicle as a pillion rider.
The driver of the motorised two-wheeler with a child up to age 4 years being carried as a pillion, shall maintain a speed not more than 40 kmph.
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The crash helmet is a must for a child passenger. The rules say, "The driver shall ensure that the child pillion passenger aged between 09 months and 4 years must wear his/her own crash helmet which fits his/her head or wear bicycle helmet complying with [ASTM 1447]/ [European (CEN)BS EN 1080/BS EN 1078] till such time that the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
Safety Harness
The safety harness shall meet the following requirements till such time the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016:
(a) Lightweight, adjustable, waterproof and durable;
(b) Heavy nylon/ multifilament nylon material with high-density foam;
(c) Shall be designed to hold weight up to 30 kg
The MoRTH has asked for submitting objections and suggestions to these draft rules, if any.