Chhota Bheem, Barbie helmets in big demand

BENGALURU: Naresh Krishna, from Jayanagar, was busy shop-hopping on Lalbagh Road, South Bengaluru, looking for a suitable helmet for son Himanshu, 13, on Sunday . The boy was spoilt for choice with trendy designs like a 3D Spiderman and a Ben 10; and the father was worried about the price.
“Sunday being a holiday, I thought I could buy helmets for my family.I bought one for my wife online, and kids' helmets are costly on ecommerce sites. Hence, I came here,“ Naresh said.
With the Karnataka government making helmets mandatory for pillion riders (under-12 children are exempted) from Tuesday , head gear traders and manufac turers are making the most of it. To attract young cus tomers, they have designed helmets featuring popular fictional characters like Chhota Bheem, Spiderman Tom & Jerry , Mickey Mouse and Ben 10. For girls, hel mets with Barbie, butter flies and dolls are trending. Chandrakanth K, a manager with a hel met showroom on Lalbagh Road, saw a sharp rise in demand for children's helmets. “By Sunday afternoon, we sold 40 kids' helmets. We are getting fresh stock now,“ he added.

Ramesh Naidu, of Helmet Paradise on Siddaiah Road, said: “Our daily average sale is 50 helmets. On Saturday, we sold 200. Kids' helmets are in high demand.“
Traders procure helmets from dealers, who, in turn, buy from manufacturers in Bommasandra of Bengaluru, Belagavi and Delhi. The Lalbagh Road is a helmet hub with 30 shops. All of them are doing brisk business in the past few days.
Anil Kumar CR of NR Automobiles said they have to order in more stock as sales have doubled.
While children's helmets with ISI mark cost upwards of Rs 450, fancy ones cost Rs 1,000 or more. “Locally-manufactured children's helmets are sold for Rs 200 to Rs 300,“ said a trader from Koramangala who didn't want to be identified.
Experts and transport officials urged parents to buy ISI-mark helmets. “Crackdown on enforcing helmets for pillion riders will not be strong in the initial weeks, but may intensify later. The rule stipulates riders should use ISI-mark helmets. Parents should ensure this, especially while buying for kids,“ a senior transport official said.
TIMES VIEW
As the helmet rule for pillion riders kicks off tomorrow, hopefully it will be taken in the right spirit by everyone. Rising number of fatalities involving two-wheeler and pillion riders as well as studies by Nimhans asserting the need for helmets to prevent head injuries led to the implementation of the rule. While citizens are taking it seriously, going by the hike in helmet sales, they must also ensure they don't opt for substandard helmets.That defeats the purpose of the rule. It's also not always possible for police to verify which ones have an ISI mark. If motorists and pillion riders do care about their own safety, they must abide by the rule in right earnest.