Every day, 3,000 pay finesfor riding without helmets

Police say accidents and violations involving two-wheelers are on the rise

About 3,000 people are caught and booked in Bengaluru every day for riding without helmets.

A new law allows the police to recommend the suspension of driving licences for three months to punish those violating the helmet rule.

Senior traffic police officials say the law is in accordance with a Supreme Court directive, and is aimed at reducing deaths on the road. Accidents and violations involving two-wheelers are rising.

While in 2017 police registered 20.19 lakh cases against those riding without helmets, the numbers touched 20.75 lakh this year (till September 20). Two-wheeler accidents went up from 271 in 2017 to 431 in 2020 (till September 20).

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B R Ravikanthe Gowda says road users wear helmets only to escape the clutches of law.

“They should start wearing it for their own safety. We are now identifying those who have five to 10 cases against them and are training them about rules of road safety. We have identified 4,000 such violators so far.”

Helmetless riding is more rampant in the interior areas of the city. “The fine for the rider is Rs 500 and a pillion rider without a helmet also attracts a fine of Rs 500,” adds Ravikanthe Gowda.

Transport Commissioner N Shivakumar says RTO says two-wheeler registrations have gone up by 6.91 per cent between 2017 and 2020.

“Offences specific to two wheelers have also increased,” he told Metrolife.

He says the total two-wheeler registrations in Bengaluru as on December 31, 2018 was 55.42 lakh and it jumped to 60.04 lakh on December 31, 2019. In March 2020, the numbers had touched 64.18 lakh. “New registrations of two-wheelers cross 44,000 every year,” he says.

Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act states every person driving or riding in a public place wear protective headgear. “Suspending driving licences used to take time because of shortage of staff. We have now tied up the loose ends. It will be a quicker process,” he adds.

According to the ministry of road transport and highways, two-wheelers accounted for 33.9 per cent of the total accidents in the country in 2017. In 2018, it had fallen marginally to 31.6 per cent.

Dr B Suresh Kumar, chief traffic warden, says only a combination of education and enforcement will get people to understand the importance of adhering to safety standards.

“We see maximum violations related to helmetless riding and the violators are usually below 25 years,” he says.