A sash of safety

With the increasing number of vehicles in the city, accidents are a common sight these days. The reasons for this vary from rash driving to neglecting one's safety. And Bengaluru Traffic Police is making all effort to rectify this situation - from enforcing the use of helmets for both the biker and the pillion rider  to encouraging people to not use mobile phones while driving.

However, another common  scenario in Bengaluru is  the  unwillingness to wear seatbelts. Seatbelts for the longest time have been known as live savers. In fact, a report by the World Health Organisation says, wearing  it reduces the risk of a fatality for the front seat passengers by 40-50 percent and 25-75 percent in case of rear-seat passengers. But, looks like people choose comfort over safety.    

Though Rajath Paul, an engineering student, feels that wearing a seatbelt is of utmost importance, he also questions its  role in metropolitan cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai where there is slow-moving traffic.

He explains, "It is obviously important to  wear  a seatbelt for one's own safety. But what if  a car is hardly moving, how does wearing a seatbelt make  a difference? Anyway, drivers and passengers are agitated and tired of the slow-moving traffic, and wearing a seatbelt and being confined to their seat will only add to the irritability."

He also points out that many people abstain from wearing seatbelts because it can mess up their carefully arranged outfit. "For someone on their way to an important meeting, a seatbelt is an inconvenience that can wrinkle their shirt or leave a sweat mark below the belt," he says with a laugh.  

He also points out that if a vehicle is moving at a high speed on the highway and empty roads, wearing a seat belt must be made mandatory for everyone, including the person in the rear seat.

Dechka Astha Kumar, a student, believes that with the rate at which the number of accidents is  increasing every year, it's time that people become more sensible and responsible as motorists. She says, "If people are more careful and cautious, they will not only do themselves a favour but also their fellow motorists. Obviously,  the Bengaluru Traffic Police is doing their bit to put a full stop to this reckless  behaviour but we as citizens  also need to spread awareness among people."

She adds, "However, I myself know some people who tend to brush off this topic whenever I explain the importance of wearing a seatbelt. This, I believe, is a careless attitude and needs to be changed."  

Well, as the saying goes, better  safe than sorry.
It's high time we as individuals take a step forward to lend our support to campaigns and awareness drives and make our roads
a safer place.