Ban on helmets without SLS certificate :

Stop gambling with lives

by Maneshka Borham

In the light of the gradually rising numbers of fatal crashes involving motorcycles, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) at the request of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) will implement a ban on the sale of helmets that have not received the Sri Lanka Standards (SLS) certification from the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI).

SLS-approved helmet

The directive issued by the CAA under the powers vested in it through Section 12 (2) of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003 will therefore from that date ban manufacturers and importers as well as distributors of helmets from manufacturing, importing or selling protective helmets without the SLS certification mark.

In recent times, while accidents overall have seen a slight decrease compared to previous years, accidents related to motorcycles have seen a steady rise and caused the highest number of fatalities. According to the Police, 1,568 accidents occurred between January 1 and July 31 this year and 1,632 persons have died. Of the accidents reported 666 are motorcycle related, where 686 motorcyclists have died.

A majority of those who die from these accidents are youth, which is a great loss to the country, says Chairman of the NRSC Dr. Sisira Kodagoda adding that research studies have revealed that wearing helmets that do not adhere to quality standards leads to severe damage to the skull in an accident thereby causing debilitating injuries or death. Therefore, it has prompted the Government to ensure that all helmets available for sale should adhere to proper safety standards. Helmets of lower quality cause more harm than good, as are found commonly in the Sri Lankan market, he said.

According to the Traffic Police, riders have always been advised by them to purchase helmets with the SLS certification, in the absence of which, strong and durable helmets, fully covering the back of the rider's head with a chin strap over 20 millimeters in length with a lock for better safety, is the alternative.

However, Dr. Kodagoda claims, currently no SLS certified helmets are available in the market although the SLSI had given a period of one year for helmet importers to receive SLS certification.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, SLSI Director General Gamini Dharmawardena agrees. "The response has been very poor," he said adding that only a few importers have currently applied for the SLS certification despite the impending ban from September 1. According to Dharmawardena the most lukewarm response received has been from local manufacturers. "Not many of them have applied yet," he said, adding that SLS 517 specifies the requirements for helmets. The SLSI has been testing imported helmets while shockingly, no checks have been done on locally manufactured helmets.

"The SLSI, to ensure that good quality products enter the Sri Lankan market, through the years has been conducting a special Import Inspection Scheme for 123 items," Dharmawardena said, adding that helmets too were checked under this scheme. According to him when a shipment of helmets arrives in the country the SLSI is informed by the Customs officials. "We then send a team to collect samples and check the helmets for their quality, and an approval letter is then provided to release the shipment if the items conform to the required standard," he said.

A local motorcycle helmet importer who wished to remain anonymous, however, claims the new ban on helmets sans the SLS certification is unfair on importers, although commending the effort to ensure that only good quality helmets of a particular standard enters the Sri Lankan market. However, the new ban is an undue burden on him and other importers, he says.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Motorcyclists' Association while commending the new move claims better awareness and education must be given to riders on how to purchase a helmet of good quality. According to the Secretary of the Association Chirantha Amarasinghe his organization is saddened that the Government continues to ignore the safety provided by full face helmets. "We wish the government would encourage people to wear full face helmets as they provide better safety," he said. As a previously enforced ban on full-face helmets has been legally challenged, riders are still free to wear full face helmets until the court case is resolved.

According to the Police, despite the ban on the sale of non-SLSI certified helmets, there is no law to ensure that riders only wear SLS certified helmets. "We can only instruct and advise them to do so, and are unable to take action against those who choose to wear helmets of lower quality despite the serious risks," said a source from the Traffic Police.

Also while helmets can provide protection and reduce fatalities, viewing CCTV footage of accidents, it is clear that speed, lack of awareness on road rules and sheer lack of care has contributed to the rising numbers of accidents. While this is a welcome step to keep riders safe, more needs to be done to prevent and reduce the number of accidents involving motorcycles in Sri Lanka.