You read it right! Helmet and accessories will be provided free of cost when you buy a scooter or a motorcycle. The sad thing is, this is only applicable in Kerala, for now.
This decision has been taken to bring down the number of road accidents in the state. With this new rule, that’ll come into effect from April 1, the aim is to encourage riders to use and wear the helmet whenever they’re riding. Besides this, Kerala’s State and Transport Commissioner has ordered the manufacturers to provide some accessories free of cost.
Currently, there are a couple of manufacturers that allow dealers to charge for accessories like number plate, rear-view mirror, saree guard, crash guard and even grab rail. While we understand each and every dealer wants to make money, charging extra for mandatory things like number plate and rear-view mirror is a bit too far fetched. The interesting bit is that the dealers offer these as mandatory accessories and even include them in the on-road price and not in the ex-showroom price. This decision was taken as the Motor Vehicles Department had received complaints that the dealers were taking money even for providing number plates. The manufacturers have been told that their authority for sale in the state will be cancelled if the accessories were not provided free of cost.
We appreciate the Kerala government taking this step and would love to see the other state governments follow suit, considering the fact that the manufacturers have agreed to this new rule. But we believe the companies will increase the price of their products to recover the cost.
