The Central government has notified the draft rules for safety provisions for carrying a child on a motorcycle, recommending a safety harness to be used for attaching the child to the driver. The rules announced by the ministry of road transport and highways will be applicable to drivers carrying a child pillion passengers aged nine months to four years.
The draft rules have been notified in the official gazette and the ministry has given a 30-day window seeking feedback from the public.
According to the draft rules, an adjustable safety harness must be used to securely attach the upper torse of the child to the driver. The straps of the harness are attached to the back of the vest in a way that two large crossing-over loops form, passing between the legs of the passenger.
The safety harness should be lightweight, adjustable, waterproof and durable. It should be made of heavy nylon or multifilament nylon material with high-density foam designed to hold a weight of up to 30 kg. These requirements for safety harness should be kept in mind till such time the specifications are prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 2016:
The drivers will have to ensure that the child pillion passengers must wear a crash helmet that fits their head or wear a bicycle helmet. The speed of the motorcycle should not exceed 40 kmph the driver is carrying a child up to four years of age as a pillion.