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India PR Distribution
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 31: Tvarra, India's women-first helmet and rider-safety brand, today announced the release of the India Women Rider Safety and Mobility Report 2026 - Volume I, a landmark study that examines how women actually experience two-wheeler mobility across India. Conducted by the Tvarra Research Centre, the research arm of Tvarra Helmets for Women and Kids; the report is based on responses from 1,018 women across India, including 542 regular two-wheeler riders and 476 pillion passengers. The two groups were studied and analysed as distinct populations, making this the largest independent study of women riders and pillion passengers in India. The report moves beyond conventional road-safety research, which largely focuses on accidents, fatalities and helmet compliance. It studies the everyday journeys that may not end in a crash but still influence whether a woman rides, which route she takes, whether she travels after dark and whether she uses protective equipment. The research examines five dimensions of women's mobility: infrastructure, road behaviour, product design, personal safety, and the pillion-passenger experience. "For decades, women have been expected to adapt to roads, vehicles and safety products designed around the male rider. This report reverses that lens. It asks what the mobility ecosystem must do differently to accommodate women," said Alpana Parida, Founder, Tvarra. "Leadership is not only about creating products for an underserved market. It is also about creating the knowledge and evidence that can transform the market. Through the Tvarra Research Centre, we want women's experiences to be measured, understood and acted upon." Access the report here: https://tvarra.com/pages/research or write to info@tvarra.com for a PDF copy. Infrastructure emerges as the biggest barrier, according to the study. It further reveals that: * 82.3% of women riders identified poor road conditions as a major concern * 72.7% said larger vehicles frequently disregard two-wheeler riders * 62.9% reported problems with helmet fit or comfort * 57.7% identified harassment as a concern while riding * 61.1% of pillion passengers said they had nothing secure to hold * 58.6% of pillion passengers found helmets uncomfortable * 47.5% said they rarely wore a helmet The findings challenge the assumption that awareness is the primary problem. Women understand the risks of riding and frequently modify their behaviour to manage them. The gap lies in roads, products, vehicles and safety systems that have not evolved at the same pace as women's participation in mobility. The report also finds that helmet discomfort is not simply a matter of preference. When poor fit, weight, ventilation or discomfort lead to non-use, comfort becomes a measurable safety variable. A defining feature of the study is its focus on pillion passengers as an independent population, which is largely overlooked as a segment. Pillion passengers face the same roads, speeds and traffic as the rider but have no control over steering, braking, speed or route selection. The report describes this as the central asymmetry of pillion travel: full exposure to risk with no control over the journey. The findings identify the back seat as one of the largest unaddressed safety opportunities in the two-wheeler industry. Passenger grab rails, seat geometry, footrest positioning and passenger-appropriate helmets must be treated as matters of safety design and vehicle specification, rather than convenience. The report positions women's mobility as more than a transport issue. Safe and independent mobility determines access to education, employment, healthcare and entrepreneurship. A woman who declines a job, avoids an evening class or does not travel because the route feels unsafe experiences a real mobility constraint, even when no accident occurs. "The woman rider is no longer a niche consumer. She represents one of the most important social and economic shifts in India's mobility landscape," Parida added. "The first phase was about women gaining access to two-wheelers. The next phase must be about designing roads, products and policies around their actual experience." In line with the above, Tvarra established a new research platform dedicated to uncovering how women's mobility constitutes vital economic infrastructure. The research centre will conduct and publish original research on women's mobility, two-wheeler safety, protective equipment design, and pillion passenger experience. The 2026 report establishes the first baseline in what is intended to become an annual reference, enabling policymakers, manufacturers, regulators, employers, urban planners and journalists to track progress over time. The Tvarra Research Centre is the research arm of Tvarra, India's women-first helmet and rider-safety brand. It was created to close the gap between traditional crash statistics and women's lived experience of mobility, and to publish research that can be used, cited and built upon. The India Women Rider Safety and Mobility Report 2026 - Volume I is available from the Tvarra Research Centre. Media enquiries Satamitra Ghoshdastidar Growth & Strategy Lead Tvarra - Tvarra Research Centre Email: satamitragd@tvarra.com Phone: +91 98846 78563 (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
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