Demand of GST Removal on Helmets; International Road Federation Puts Forth Amendment to Curb Accidents

News Highlights

• Approximately 8% meet their death while driving two-wheelers in the country.
• As of now, customers are levied 18% GST in the country over safety gears.

Approximately 8% meet their death while driving two-wheelers, which is a huge data if compared to a large population as that of our country. And a proposal has been put forth in the wake to reduce the number of fatalities of two-wheelers due to road accidents. The proposal states to completely remove GST over helmets so as to encourage two-wheeler riders for helmet usage. The concern regarding the increased number of road accident fatalities was raised by the International Road Federation. The agency is demanding to completely slash GST over safety gears. As of now, customers are levied 18% GST in the country.

On 31st October, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways published a report on road accidents in India in 2022. The report says that the country has witnessed over 4.61 lakh accidents last year of which approximately 1.68 lakh people lost their lives. From the total number of fatalities, around 50,029 people were driving a two-wheeler without a helmet. And over 70% of them were riders. 

In a country like India, people usually sparsely use helmets as the sale of two-wheelers is higher than that of the four-wheelers. And despite this, the central government has imposed strict rules towards riders who don't wear a helmet, they usually break it anyway without caring much about their safety even in big cities. And sometimes, the price can be a big cause of less usage. As it is commonly witnessed people buy a cheaper gear which is not as efficient in case of accident due to its less cost, making it even riskier for the rider. President of IRF, KK Kapila said, “IRF strongly recommends that there should be no GST on helmets. This will help in making standard helmets more affordable for the masses and discourage them from buying helmets of standard quality.” 

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As per the Section 129 of the Central Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, it is compulsory for all the two-wheeler riders to wear helmets. Branching this traffic rule will get you riled up in a fine of around INR 1000 in Delhi. And it could lead to the temporary cancellation of a driving license for a period of 3 months. 

The National Capital of Delhi sees various cases of two-wheeler riders without wearing helmets. As per the data of Delhi Police, over 1 lakh challans were issued to two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets within a span of first 4 months of this year. The number of violators between January and April 2023 is much higher than the overall number of challans issued in the capital last year.