Newly bought two-wheeler owners will have to adhere to this new rule.
Due to the increasing number of accidents being reported quite frequently, Karnataka has banned pillions on small two-wheelers. Reportedly, all the two-wheelers, including scooters and motorcycles, which run on engines below 100cc capacity won’t be allowed to be ridden with a passenger on the rear seat. The new rule is applicable on two-wheelers which will be registered from now on.
The report came in after the Transport Commissioner B. Dayananda said, “Any bike or scooter less than 100cc will not be permitted to have a pillion rider. This rule will be applicable to newly registered vehicles”. Also, a notification was issued by the government which read that a pillion rider being ridden on a low-capacity two-wheeler will be a violation of the Karnataka Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.
The incident which leveraged the Karnataka High Court to come to this conclusion was an accident involving a young rider who succumbed to his injuries after the misfortune. Apart from being reluctant about a pillion rider, the government will also issue notices to bike manufacturers ordering them to design two-wheelers without a pillion seat on them.
The decision taken by the Karnataka state government seems sensible as scooters and bikes running on engines below 100cc are not suitable for riding with extra weight, in this case, a pillion. The ergonomics, powerplant, design and braking setup are not fully capable of riding and staying in control when carrying more than one person.
We often see motorcycles and scooters, with small engines, wandering around the city with three people astride it. Hopefully, such contempts will be controlled now, at least in Karnataka.
Pillions On 100cc Bikes
– Registration of 2-wheelers with 100cc and lower engines having a pillion seat won’t be allowed
– Existing two-wheelers with pillion seats won’t have any effect
– The rule was proposed in 1996 but took time to come into effect
