Bikers riding imported superbikes are planning to request senior officials to recognise and permit the use of helmets and other safety gear certified by the international certifying agencies.
Frustrated by the police's crackdown on bikers wearing helmets not bearing the ISI mark, a section of the city's bikers riding imported superbikes are planning to approach the transport department to request senior officials to recognise and permit the use of helmets and other safety gear certified by the international certifying agencies.
Many bikers said they are apprehensive about being penalised by the traffic police officials as their imported helmets, certified by the American Department of Transportation (DOT) and other agencies, do not bear the ISI logo and the DOT logo, is not recognised or understood.
Many bikers even claimed that the officials are already harrassing them. While some of them have had to pay fines, others have had to paste fake ISI stickers to avoid getting caught for wearing imported helmets, which either have DOT, SNELL, ASNZ or other marks.
Bandra resident Mukesh Bhatia, member of 7th gear superbikers' group, said, "Many bikers who have been fined by the traffic police officials do not want to come forward and complain as they fear being mocked at by others. After all, what is the point of investing money in imported helmets and other safety gear if you are obliged to pay the Rs100 fine to traffic cops for not having an ISI mark on it?"
Vijay Jain, Managing Director, Wheelieboy Adventures (I) Limited, an automobile race organiser, is planning to go along a small group of bikers to meet the Joint Transport Commissioner, SB Sahasrabuddhe, and display samples of ISI, DOT and SNEL mark helmets to convince him about the safety standards followed by each one of them and recognise them as good quality safety gear.
"We welcome the initiative of making helmets of ISI mark compulsory. However, we believe that other standards should also be recognised as they are no less than the ISI as far as safety standards are concerned. We have been trying to request a meeting with the police commissioner and the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) but they haven't approved the request," said Jain.
The traffic police, acting on instructions given by the Commissioner of Police Aroop Patnaik, began a drive on November 29 to crackdown on riders without helmets as well as those wearing helmets without the ISI mark and unauthorised use of red and dome lights atop cars.
Over 1,247 riders have been booked for not wearing helmets while 643 have been booked for wearing helmets without the ISI logo.
Debashish Ghosh of Harley Owners India, an informal group of Harley Davidson riders in the city, said, "Ever since the drive began, i have been told by many riders in the superbikers' community that the traffic officials are not aware about the DOT standards and thus, tend to treat them as violators. Many have had a hard time dealing with the cops."
Amit Bajla, another Harley Davidson rider, a resident of Worli, said, "The initiative (of making better quality ISI helmets mandatory) is good and we support the use of good quality safety gears, especially helmets, by the riders. However, if they can allow foreign-made bikes then why not helmets?"
Those in the riders' community say a considerable number of bikers has been booked. The Joint Transport Commissioner could not be reached for comment. Speaking on the issue, DCP Nisar Tamboli had given the police's perspective on the issue saying, "Our officials will go by the local laws. If they (the superbikers) feel they are being penalised for a wrong reason, they should meet the DCP Traffic in cases registered by the traffic officials and, in cases done by the city police, they should meet the zonal DCPs."
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