Challan For Riding Without Helmet In India
Just like you cannot risk the safety of your bike by leaving it outside of your your house for the whole night, similarly, you cannot leave your house on your bike without wearing a helmet. You never know when an unforeseen fatal accident is waiting for you on the road, hence it becomes vital to wear the helmet whenever riding your two-wheeler. Also as per the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, it is mandatory to wear a helmet while riding a bike otherwise it can attract a hefty amount of fine.
Fine For Not Wearing Helmet
Initially, as per the Motor Vehicle Act, the fine for not wearing a helmet was Rs. 100. In India, the amount of Rs. 100 is not considered much hence the riders used to go out without wearing a helmet. Keeping the insincerity of the riders as well as their safety, the government amended the Motor Vehicle Act in September 2019 and increased the fine from Rs. 100 to Rs. 1000.
Apart from this, some of the states gave the authority to the traffic police to seize the two-wheeler as well as suspend the driving license of the rider for a period of 3 months. The amendment made in September 2019 also states that a rider must have a helmet with a 20-25 mm thickness with high-quality foam and as per the Bureau of Standards, the helmet should be ISI certified.
Process After Getting Caught Without Helmet
If you get caught by the traffic police while riding a two-wheeler without a helmet then you will have to go through the process mentioned below:
- You will be asked to stop the two-wheeler on the side of the road.
- If they feel the need to take out the keys then they will.
- Then they will ask you for the documents such as your license to make sure that you have one and not driving without a license, two-wheeler insurance, PUC and RC. These four things are mandatory for a bike rider to carry while riding a bike and in case you could not show any of these things then you will be fined accordingly.
- Once they are done with the verification, they will make the challan for riding the bike without a helmet as per the Motor Vehicle Act, 2019.
- If the traffic police possess the latest technology then they will create an e-challan that will be sent to your registered mobile number and if not then they will create a challan on the hard copy and hand it to you.
- If they send an e-challan then you can pay for it online and if they hand over a hard copy of that challan then you can either pay the challan amount then and there.
You can pay e-challan online and here is the process.
Online Payment of e-challan
- Visit the official website of your State’s Transport Department
- Look for the e-challan payment section.
- Click on the link of e-challan payment
- Now enter your challan number or
- Now enter the captcha code shown on the screen
- Now you will have to make the payment.
- You can make the payment through UPI, Net banking, Credit/debit card as well as through PayTM
- Once the payment is done, you will receive a confirmation message.
If you want to pay the challan offline then you can either pay the amount then and there and take the receipt from the traffic police otherwise you can visit the nearby police station later on. Once you make the payment take the receipt.
Challan For Not Wearing Helmet In Different States
After the amendment in 2019, some states stuck with the updated challan but some states changed the challan amount according to themselves. Here is a list of challan in different states of the country after the September 1, 2019 amendment.
State |
Penalty |
Andhra Pradesh |
Rs. 1000 and/or Disqualification of License for 3 months |
Delhi |
Rs. 1000 and/or Disqualification of License for 3 months |
Haryana |
Rs. 1000 |
Karnataka |
Rs. 1000 and/or Disqualification of License for 3 months |
Maharashtra |
Rs. 1000 and/or Disqualification of License for 3 months |
Punjab |
Rs. 1000 and/or Disqualification of License for 3 months |
Telangana |
Rs. 200 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Rs. 1000 |
How To Avoid Getting Challan?
It is illegal to ride a bike without a helmet and also the government made these traffic rules for your own safety. Wearing a helmet can save you from getting injured in sudden road accidents and sometimes save your life also. However, if you want to avoid getting challan then here are some tips that you can follow:
- First of all, do not forget to wear the helmet when you go out on your bike
- Make sure that you have an ISI-certified 20-25 mm thick helmet.
- Always carry an extra helmet just in case you have to ride with a pillion rider.
- You can purchase a helmet lock to keep the helmet with the bike so that you do not forget it.
- Purchase a helmet that fits on your head properly otherwise it can hyperventilate you if it is small and it is oversized then it can take off from your head itself and you might get injured severely.
- In case you find your helmet is cracking, replace it with a new one.
Conclusion
The government makes traffic rules for the safety of vehicle owners. However, being a good citizen of the country you are required to follow the rules otherwise be ready to pay the hefty fine. Apart from this, there are some documents such as PUC, RC, License and two-wheeler insurance that are mandatory to carry while riding a two-wheeler other not carrying any of these and riding without a helmet can attract even a bigger amount of fines and/or disqualification of license for 3 months.