Kochi: As many as 639 people lost their lives last year due to head injuries suffered in mishaps that happened while they were riding without helmets.
The figures released by the Kerala Traffic Police vindicate the tough drive undertaken by the police and the Motor Vehicle Department across the state in the last three months.
Out of the 1343 people killed in mishaps involving two-wheelers, 639 died due to head injuries since they were not wearing helmets. Interestingly, 301 of them were pillion riders, the study (what study? by the Kerala Traffic Police?) said.
”Currently the penalties imposed are too low and are not proving to be effective. The department has proposed to the Centre to effect a hike in penalties for offences such as helmetless riding and over-speeding. Now it’s just Rs 100 for helmetless riding and Rs 300 for over-speeding,” said Harisankar IPS, (Traffic), Kochi City Police.
The instances of helmetless riding are more in rural areas (where the compliance rate is below 60 per cent) as compared to cities like Ernakulam and Thrissur (99.01 per cent).
”In Kochi city alone, nearly 400 petty cases on an average are being booked for over-speeding. Mostly private buses, who compete with each other, are getting caught on CCTV cameras. However, the fine is only Rs 300.So even if a particular bus is caught thrice in a month, the penalty is below Rs 1000 which they can easily afford. Hence it’s not working as a deterrent,” the officer said. Out of the total mishap deaths of 4049 last year, casualties in accidents involving two-wheelers were nearly 35 per cent (1343).
