According to recent reports, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made some new amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act on February 11, 2020, regarding the rear-wheel cover on motorcycles. The new draft rules have been filed by the ministry and christened as ‘Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 2020’, which will be applicable on vehicles in India from October 2020.
The new draft rules would revolve around the motorcycle’s windscreen standards in addition to ensuring utmost pillion safety as well as other mandatory new regulations for the luggage compartments, spare wheel and more.
According to the recently-drafted rule number 123 regarding the safety components in the motorcycles, all the motorcycles with a provision for a pillion rider would be constructed with a mandatory permanent handgrip on the side or behind the rider’s seat. In addition to this, the motorcycle must feature a mandatory footrest for the pillion rider and a rear-wheel cover that will cover half of the rear wheel of the motorcycle to prevent the clothes of the pillion rider from being entangled in the wheel.
Thus, from the upcoming October 2020, all the motorcycles will have their rear-wheel covered by half. Since the rear-wheel cover rule doesn’t say anything about the saree guards, they are just the option to cover the rear wheel by half. It is yet to be seen how the motorcycle manufacturers will make use of the information to impose new wheel cover for the rear wheel but they sure will offer the motorcycles an odd stance.
Since the motorcycle enthusiasts in India occasionally get their saree guards removed as they compromise with the practicality and the sporty styling of the motorcycles, it is yet to be seen how the newly proposed draft rules for the rear wheel cover and more will prove helpful to the riders.
