Mangaluru: Don’t have an ISI-certified helmet? Then, buy one immediately as the city traffic police will start cracking down on those wearing non-ISI certified helmets from February 1. The police have also warned that action will be taken against the sellers of substandard helmets.

This move comes after the recent order of the Karnataka high court which stated that the bikers who meet with accidents will not be paid insurance compensation if they found to be not wearing ISI-certified helmets at the time of the accident. Meanwhile, police have also asked people to discard their non-ISI certified helmets.

“Wearing an ISI-certified helmet saves riders from head injuries. Not using quality helmets will result in more fatalities and also more severe injuries,” explained Uma Prashant, DCP (crime and traffic),. She added that all riders must adhere to the helmet specifications issued by the court.

Even those selling sub-standard helmets will be fined and prosecuted, she said. “Police will start taking action agianst sellers of substandard helmets from February 1 so that the supply chain is erased completely,” she added.

About wearing helmets that meet global standards such as United States’ DoT and Europe’s ECE, Uma said that police will go by the rule book. “Wear only ISI ones,” she suggested bikers.