There were almost 600 two-wheeler accidents in Chennai in 2006, according to Chennai traffic police. The Government then issued an order making it mandatory for all two-wheeler riders and their passengers to wear helmets while riding, effective June 1, 2007. So there was Chennai taking a step in the right direction. We finally realized that there were too many deaths caused due to riders not wearing helmets when using their motorcycles.
It was scary to see couples with two kids on a motorbike. One would be scrunched between the parents and the other would either be held by the woman at the back or stand right in front. 
People have used all the excuses in the book for not wearing a helmet - some of the more common ones are that it is too hot (especially in chennai), hair-loss (yes, some people actually believe that wearing a helmet caused them to lose hair), neck pain, ear pain, inability to see clearly etc. No one seemed to compare those to losing their lives! Then when the order came from the Government, everyone complained that the helmets were too expensive. I guess they'd rather spend the lakhs in hospital costs for injury than Rs. 1000 for a helmet!
June 1 saw all riders on the road wearing a helmet. It was truly satisfying to see. Finally, people were taking a right step. And then TWO days later, the Government has withdrawn the order making it optional and not mandatory!! Unbelievable. Now, its back to no helmets. Even people who have already bought the helmets aren't using them!
This is a classic Indian case of taking one step forward and two steps back.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
The Helmet Law...Well, Almost!
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5 comments:
rule or no rule, I always wore a helmet in Chennai... or Pondy or Bangalore... wherever I rode a 2-wheeler... you know what Arundathi, there shouldn't be a rule in India... not for seat belts, not for helmets, not for carrying babies in the front seat... patta dhaan teriyum na, padattum.
problem is pattanaalum theriyadhe!
another friend of mine, Mukund, also blogged about the same thing... and I say the same thing... if they need a rule to wear a helmet, it means they have no brains to start with... and maybe that's why they don't "need" one. :)
The latest update is that the driver has to wear it but the passengers don't. The reason is that lots of people complained that the kids cant wear helmets!
So basically the dad is gonna survive in case of an accident and the women and children are expendable!!! Still unbelievable to me.
i accept that helmet to be worn wear made compulsary by the government of chennai.But since the rules were fluctuating i am not wether a pillion rider should wear or not.On 21st october 07 i was travelling with my friend near adyar signal,a cop caught us and showed all the papers despite showing them he booked a case saying pillion rider not wearing...How cruel it is..I thought this rule is done but now i came to know its still there...when will we get educated...
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