The City traffic police may give a grace period of just a fortnight to enforce strictly the helmet rule for pillion riders of two-wheelers.
The police, meanwhile, plan to create awareness among the public about the new rule till January 20.
Welcoming the rule, M A Saleem, additional commissioner of police (traffic), said a two-wheeler rider should ensure that he/she does not violate the rule. It is ultimately for the pillion rider’s safety.
The traffic police will hold campaigns during the road safety week starting January 9, he said.
“It’s the rider who will be liable for punishment if he/she rides with a helmetless pillion rider,” he said giving the example of car drivers who are penalised if co-riders do not wear seat belts.
No exemption for kids
“Even children riding backseat on two-wheelers come under the ambit of the new rule,” he pointed out.
According to a recent study, two-wheelers, which constitute 60 per cent of the vehicle population in the City, are most vulnerable to mishaps. About 41 per cent of two-wheelers were involved in various types of fatal accidents, while cars and heavy vehicles constituted only 17 and 15 per cent each. Besides, the traffic police have booked about 17 lakh cases each in the last two years against those who did not wear helmets.
Crisel D’Souza, a second-year student of Alliance University, called it a good initiative.
“Whenever I ride pillion, I choose to wear helmets for long distances. The police should convince people to wear prescribed helmets. There is a family which always waits for our safe return,” she says. Ashwin Bharadwaj, a medical student from Banashankari, points out that studies have shown that the mortality rate for pillion riders is “marginally higher”, while some reports show “equal” risk. Either way, it is important for pillion riders to wear helmets, he said.
Deepak Pathange writes on the Bengaluru Traffic Police Facebook page: ts hard to keep 1 helmet in bikes.. Now where shall we keep the 2nd helmet?? And we need to carry 2 helmets everywhere we go... Holding the second helmet while riding is even more dangerous then riding without helmet.... Make sense?? And, Vikranth Moily from Jayanagar said that it is not possible to ride at a speed of more than 30 kmph due to pathetic condition of roads.
Meanwhile, the helmet stores in the City are yet to see a rise in sales.
Chandra Gowda of Vighnesh Helmet Store in Bommanahalli said that he only had normal business since the rule is not in place now. Ziaulla Shariff, who works at the three-decade-old A N Enterprises in Lalbagh, said that there may not be high demand for helmets as people may opt for cheaper head gears that are available on the roadside and not the helmets with ISI mark from shops, unless made mandatory.
