The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified the Central Motor Vehicles (Seventh Amendment) Rules, 2020 under which safety devices in motorcycles have been made mandatory.
The rules will come into effect from April 2021.
According to the new rules, the manufacturer should ensure there is a provision for pillion handholds on the side of the motorcycle or behind the driver seat and it shall comply with the requirement specified in IS: 14495-1998, footrests for the pillion rider on both sides of the motorcycle and protective device covering not less than half portion of the rear left wheel of the motorcycle so as to prevent the clothes of the person sitting on the pillion getting entangled in the rear wheel.
The windscreen and window glass of motorcycles should be made of safety glass or safety glazing material.
The windscreen and window glass of motor vehicles should have its face to the front. The safety glass or safety glazing of the windscreen and rear window of every motor vehicle shall be so manufactured as to provide not less than 70 percent visual transmission of light. The safety glass or safety glazing should provide at least 50 percent visual transmission of light.
Motorcycles fitted with a light-weight container shall meet the following requirements: (a) the dimensions of the container shall not exceed 550 mm in length, 510 mm in width and 500 mm in height; (b) weight of the container including its mounting and load carried therein shall not exceed 30 kgs.; (c) if the container is fitted on the pillion rider space, no pillion rider shall be allowed, provided that the weight of container including its mounting and load.
As per the notification, motorcycles manufactured on and from January 1, 2022, shall comply with the stand requirements specified in AIS 146:2018 until the corresponding BIS specifications are notified under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016).
Meanwhile, cars with tubeless tyres will now be allowed to run without a spare tyre if they have tyre repair kit (tubeless tyres) and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
The TPMS installed in vehicles will have to comply with the rules from October 1.
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