28 February 2017 05:23 am
In a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena the CMA said the gazette notice had been issued in contempt of the April 2, 2015 Court order which stayed the ban on face-covered helmets.
“The gazette notice issued by Transport Minister Nimal Siripala is an indirect ban on face-covered helmets. A rider has a clear vision by wearing contrasting helmets which obstructs sunlight. The use of such helmets have been banned,” CMA Secretary Chirantha Amarasinghe said.
He said even when the government imposed a ban on face-covered helmet there was no drop in road accidents.
Mr. Amarasinghe said the CMA was of the view that the use of helmets should be standardised but wondered whether the gazette notice would impact on full-face helmets such as DOT, Snell and ECE, which are of international standards.
However, the Chairman of the National Council for Road Safety, Dr. Sisira Kodagoda said the normal chin-guard helmets have not been banned.
“The gazette notice only has only banned the face-covered helmets used in racing. The reason behind banning the face-covered helmets because the chin guard is too long and obstructs a clear view of the speed 'o meter,” he said adding that the ban was meant to ensure public safety. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)