Rs 110 Helmets, 95% fake! How Steelbird’s new mission aims to save 38k lives annually

In a bid to tackle one of India’s deadliest public safety threats,

Steelbird Helmets

has launched ‘

Mission Save Lives 2.0 India

’, led by MD

Rajeev Kapur

. The initiative was unveiled during the National Summit on Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) and Road Safety.India reported nearly 1.72 lakh road deaths and 4.63 lakh injuries in 2023. Shockingly, two-wheeler riders and pedestrians made up 65% of the total fatalities. Around 77,000 of those who died were on two-wheelers, and 54,000 deaths were linked directly to not wearing helmets. The new mission aims to change that by focusing on one critical area: real, certified helmets.

India two-wheeler fatalities: Challenges and road ahead

As per the company’s presentation, 95% of BIS license holders are flooding the market with helmets that falsely carry the ISI mark but don’t meet safety standards. Many of these are sold for as little as Rs 110, making them accessible but highly unsafe. “Every day, India loses lives that could be saved by simply wearing a real BIS-certified helmet,” said Kapur.

‘Mission Save Lives 2.0 India’ aims to save 38,000 lives annually by replacing fake helmets with certified ones. The plan includes phasing in

helmet compliance

starting with Tier 1 cities in 2028, followed by Tier 2 in 2029, and Tier 3 and rural areas by 2031. To support this, the mission proposes quadrupling helmet manufacturing capacity and creating 80,000 jobs, backed by Rs 6,000 crore in investment.

Monitoring and enforcement will be powered by digital dashboards, audits by national bodies, and regular helmet usage surveys to keep the mission on track toward halving road fatalities by 2031.The initiative also highlights the urgent need to crack down on counterfeit products. It proposes real-time verification of BIS licenses, periodic audits, targeted raids, and mandatory BIS-approved in-house testing labs for all helmet makers. Children’s safety is also a key focus. The plan introduces lightweight, size-appropriate helmets for kids and mandates safety harnesses for young pillion riders.