Helmet demand soars amid raids on roads

RAWALPINDI:

Following the enforcement of new traffic laws, helmet sales in the open market have surged sharply, and prices have increased.

The sale of old and stolen helmets has also begun, while broken helmets are being repainted and sold at high prices.

Stalls and pushcarts selling helmets have appeared across the city. New helmet varieties are also being sold on motorcycles.

In the open market, helmet prices range from Rs1,200 to Rs5,000. Helmets priced between Rs1,200 and Rs2,200 are old, repainted ones with very poor quality, becoming unusable after two to three weeks. Good-quality helmets are being sold for Rs3,000 to Rs5,000.

District Bar Association President Sardar Manzar Basheer criticised the Rs2,000 helmet fine and demanded that riders be given a helmet on the spot for the fine amount, and fined only if they fail to wear it afterwards.

In Teli Mohalla near Bhabra Bazaar on Murree Road, shops refurbishing old helmets have reopened.

Shopkeepers purchase broken helmets from scrap dealers for Rs50 to Rs100, repaint them, add inner foam, and turn them into "new" helmets sold to stallholders for Rs1,000. Vendors then sell them to customers for Rs1,200 to Rs1,800. Helmet stalls selling helmets of every colour have popped up across the city.