UN Road Safety Envoy Jean Todt Slams Fake Helmets, Calls for Urgent Nationwide Enforcement to End India's Unacceptable 15% Share of Global Road Deaths

VMPL

New Delhi [India], February 24: In a significant step towards strengthening India's road safety ecosystem, Steelbird Helmets, in collaboration with TRAX - Road Safety NGO and Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), hosted "Mission: Save Lives On Roads, India -- An Integrated Road Safety Meet" at The Leela Palace, Delhi.

The high-level gathering brought together global and national experts, scientists, medical professionals, industry leaders and policymakers to drive coordinated, evidence-based strategies aimed at significantly reducing road crashes and fatalities in India. Structured around three focused panel discussions, the conference emphasised infrastructure reform, sustainable mobility and powered two-wheeler safety under the Safe System Approach.

In a powerful address as Chief Guest, Shree Jean Todt, UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, commended India's recent progress while stressing the critical need for full enforcement, genuine standards, and collective global action to end the unacceptable toll of road deaths.

Shree Jean Todt expressed his pleasure at joining the gathering and thanked the organizers-- Steelbird, CSIR, and TRAX--for their dedication to advancing road safety worldwide. He acknowledged the meaningful steps India has taken in recent years, particularly the announced policy to include two helmets with every motorcycle purchase, and emphasized that its full nationwide implementation and strict enforcement are now essential to saving lives.

"India has around 1% of the world's vehicles, yet accounts for 15% of global road deaths each year--and this is no longer acceptable. Helmets are one of the most effective life-saving tools, but only if they meet proper safety standards. Last year, nearly 70% of helmets sold in Delhi were fake. If safe helmets are a vaccine, fake helmets are fake vaccines--and millions are using this fake medicine believing it will protect them, when it will not," added the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety.

Shree Jean Todt highlighted the alarming 38% rise in fatal motorbike crashes in Delhi over the last five years and called for urgent, coordinated efforts beyond government policies--urging the private sector, including quality-focused manufacturers, to prioritize compliance and affordability. He announced the upcoming high-level UN meeting on road safety in New York this summer, where governments, industry, and organizations are expected to make public, measurable commitments.

In an impassioned welcome and call to unified action at the road safety meet, Shree Rajeev Kapur, Managing Director of Steelbird Hi-Tech India Limited .urged industry, government, and stakeholders to join forces decisively to halve road deaths and eradicate preventable tragedies through enforcement, innovation, and collective resolve.

Shree Kapur expressed deep joy at seeing everyone united on the single mission to save lives and stressed that we must collectively achieve the target of reducing road deaths by 50% as announced by our leader Gadkariji. He strongly advocated that every two-wheeler company should mandatorily provide two genuine helmets with each motorcycle. The Steelbird Managing Director highlighted the alarming reality that 50% of helmets in India are fake and easily shattered, urging the government to shut down the roughly 200 fake-helmet manufacturers in Delhi-NCR within just 15 days if it truly decides to act.

Calling for a common platform and one unified voice, Steelbird MD praised the excellent research and presentations shared, yet emphasized that individual efforts must converge. Looking to the future, Shree Kapur proposed harnessing booming AI technology--such as helmet sensors that beep until both rider and pillion wear helmets, and GPS-linked speed limiters that automatically prevent vehicles from exceeding zone limits--to eliminate over-speeding forever.

Notably, the grand event featured four impactful technical sessions: Creating Safer Road Infrastructure through Junction Improvement and Road Space Management, Enabling Safer and Sustainable Mobility: Towards Inclusive, People-Centric Transport Systems, Strengthening Powered Two-Wheeler Users Safety, and Best Road Safety Interventions

Experts explored scientific junction redesign, black spot elimination, pedestrian-priority planning, and integration of driver behaviour into road engineering to build forgiving, error-tolerant infrastructure. Discussions underscored balancing speed with safety, embedding public health in transport planning, advancing intelligent vehicle technologies, and building stakeholder capacity for truly inclusive and sustainable mobility. A dedicated panel spotlighted the urgent need to enhance safety for powered two-wheeler users--the most vulnerable group on Indian roads.

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