Standard requisites for helmets announced

All the standard requisites for helmets that apply to anyone on a vehicle that rides faster than 30 kilometers per hour or on other areas of the roads, have been made public.

The rule has been made public in amendment one to the Road Speed Rules of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. While the law will officially begin implementation from 10 March onwards, the published regulations states that measures will be taken starting from 1 March.

One of these regulations state that any person operating vehicles registered under A1 or A0 category should don helmets as stated. The regulation also quotes that jelmets should suitably fit the wearer’s heads. The regulation further elaborates that the helmets should come with a strap to secure helmet under the wearer’s chin and should be worn with the strap in use.

The regulations further dictate that the under-chin strap of helmets should be in a single unit. According to the regulation, there should be no sharp edges or joints on the helmet or near straps.

The helmet should not be made with tinted or colored material and the screens over front of face should be transparent, based on the regulations. The regulations elaborated that the color of the helmet should cover 90 per cent of the helmet that do not cause difficulty in looking at it.

The helmets should not be painted or exposed to solvents other than what has been carried out during the manufacturing process according to the regulation. The Ministry-published rules also stated that the person underneath the helmets should be identifiable at all times and that the helmet should not completely cover part or all of the face. The regulations draw attention to the fact that the helmet should fit into international helmets standards.

Some standards set for helmet-wearing in Maldives that are international standards as well: