International Road Federation (IRF), Geneva based global road safety body working for better and safer roads worldwide has expressed concern at increase in number of road accidents in the country as per latest data compiled by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) riders of Two wheelers had the highest share of road deaths .
As per the latest data shared by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) during the year 2023 two-wheeler riders accounted for 45% or 77,539 of total road accident deaths .This included about 50,000 Two-wheeler riders who died for not wearing a helmet .
“IRF has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reduce GST on helmets from present 18% to 0 % as the two-wheeler riders, being most vulnerable, as about 31% died due to head injuries. One of the most effective measures to reduce the two-wheeler accident injuries and fatalities is the use of standard helmets.” Said Mr K K Kapila, President Emeritus, International Road Federation (IRF)
“The helmet usage in our country has been found to be low. It has been noticed that most of the two-wheeler riders fall in economically weaker and lower income groups and prefer to purchase helmets which are cheaper and inferior in quality. Many of these helmets are not capable of saving a rider’s life, in case of an accident.” Said Mr Kapila.
“Helmets are lifesaving devices, yet they currently attract 18% GST,” said Mr. Kapila. “IRF strongly recommends reducing GST on helmets to 0% to make quality helmets more affordable and discourage the use of substandard ones. This move would not only help reduce road accident fatalities among two-wheeler riders but also curb the significant GDP loss caused by such accidents.”
 has raised concern over the rising road accident deaths in India, highlighting that two-wheeler riders had the highest fatality rate. According to 2023 data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), two-wheeler riders accounted for 45% (77,539) of total road deaths, with around 50,000 of these deaths linked to not wearing helmets.){kind=link}