Two-wheeler riders comply with helmet rule
Most of the vehicle riders were seen wearing helmet at a signal on Avinashi Road in Coimbatore. (Photo: DC)
Coimbatore: On day one of the helmet rule enforcement, most two-wheeler riders zipped across the city with the protective helmets but as many as 1,613 riders were caught for not wearing the headgear.
Between 8 am and 7 pm, the city police (traffic and law & order) caught a total of 1,613 persons riding two wheelers without helmets and collected a fine amount of Rs 1.6 lakhs. Vehicles were seized from seven persons, while documents were seized from 53 persons. They were returned after ensuring they bought new helmets.
Though two wheeler riders complied with the helmet rule, several persons riding pillion did not wear head gear. “Almost 99 per cent of people wore helmets. We are also cracking down on pillion riders who are without one. The control room received numerous appreciative calls from public for enforcing the helmet rule in the city,” said Traffic Inspector K Udayakumar.
He further said that 17 teams of traffic cops led by two Inspectors and 15 sub-inspectors conducted checks and caught the offenders on arterial roads in the city limits. In a separate drive for two hours in the morning, the transport department officials seized 27 two wheelers from those who drove without wearing helmets. “They took away their vehicles after showing receipt with a helmet. As it was first day of enforcement, the violators were not fined. The drive is on now in the evening,” said RTO (Central) S Munusamy.
“Public have responded well to the call of helmet wearing. Most of the two wheeler riders complied with the helmet rule, thanks to the good amount of awareness activities created by police and other organizations,” said City Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan.
Meanwhile, the city police commissioner AK Viswanathan also launched a short film titled ‘avar varuvara’ (will he come?) on road safety taken by ‘Rakki’ Mahesh alias G. Maheswaran, a head constable from Race Course police station. The short film narrates the story of a bridegroom, who ends up with a mishap without wearing helmet on the day of his marriage reception. “After obtaining a censor certificate from CBFC for the Hindi version, the film is also likely to be screened in theatres in Coimbatore,” he said.
Helmet traders down shutters as public protest:
Shops selling helmets were shut on Wednesday for a few hours at the busy commercial area of Cross Cut road following protests by public against exorbitant rates charged for helmets. All the four retail shops selling helmets and auto parts were closed as chaos prevailed on Cross Cut road after public gathered on road protesting against fleecing by helmet traders.
On the first day of helmet rule enforcement, last minute purchasers made a beeline to the shops to buy head gear so as not to get caught by the police. At one of the popular automobile shops on Cross Cut road, a large number of people descended since morning to buy helmets.
“The public, who felt that that the helmets were being sold at a high price, began to quarrel with the staff. Anticipating trouble, the shop had downed its shutters for a few hours, when the public began to bang the shutters seeking opening of the shop. More than hundred people then spilled over to the road causing traffic hurdle,” said a cop from Kattoor police station. Soon, all the helmet traders closed their shops on the Cross Cut road.
A team of police rushed to the spot and doused the tension. The police regulated the crowd and made them stand in a queue to buy helmets.
Knocks down by lorry, lady rider, dies:
A 23-year-old woman, who was riding a two wheeler, was knocked down by a speeding lorry on the Ondipudur flyover here on Wednesday. Police said Kanjana, a resident of Tiruvalluvar Nagar in Ondipudur and daughter of a warder in the Tirupur sub jail, was riding a two wheeler to pay the installment on her two wheeler, when a rashly driven lorry knocked her down at around 11.30 am.
“The lorry had hit her from behind. In the impact, Kanjana had crashed into the wall of the flyover and swooned. She was immediately rushed to a hospital, but was declared brought dead,” police said.
Though the victim was wearing a helmet, she died as she got crushed against the wall of the bridge. The body of the deceased person had been sent for post mortem at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH). The lorry driver had fled soon after the mishap. The Traffic Investigation Wing cops have registered a case and are on the lookout for the lorry driver.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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