Recently, the Transport Commissioner of the Motor Vehicle Department, Kerala, has come up with a rule regarding mounting cameras on helmets, taking videos on public roads, and announcing it is illegal.
Why Would This Happen?
According to the Commissioner, the riders with cameras mounted on the Helmet cannot concentrate on the road and become conscious about the footage recorded in their cameras.
So, such kinds of motorists become a danger to fellow motorists and pedestrians as well.
Further, the license of the offenders who break this rule will get cancelled.
While the Motor Vehicle Act does not contain such a provision, so police invoke Section 53 to cancel the license of the offenders.
In reality, Section 53 of the Motor Vehicle Division regulates modifications to vehicles and temporary cancellation of their registration until they are modified again.
Importance Of Cameras On-Road
From the travelling perspective on the public road, cameras are critical and valuable.
In foreign countries, it has become very typical to have a dashboard camera mounted on the car.
Now, the trend is slowly catching up in India too.
On the other hand, many bike riders use helmet-mounted cameras to record vlogs, while others use them to prove an accident.
It is noteworthy here that using the camera on the dashboard or your Helmet is not illegal by law in India.
Please keep in mind that using the camera to record sensitive areas like military installations or cantonments can cause big trouble.
While the use of cameras on the roads may help you with insurance if anything goes wrong on the road.
So far, different countries have different rules.
Different Countries Different Rules
We can not deny that dashboard cameras are very popular in some countries.
While, few others have restricted the use of these cameras, such as Austria and Switzerland.
In contrast, the German government allows the use of dashboard cameras.
However, the footage from these cameras cannot be posted on social media websites unless the faces and the registrations of other vehicles are blurred.
In the case of India, so far, no rules are directing the use or ownership of dashboard cameras till now.
But having proof for individuals safety seems like a good idea and will help the system be more transparent.