Hyderabad: It’s common to see parents dropping off kids to school every morning. A lot of them have a helmet on but not all. A few recent incidents of schoolchildren dying in road accidents on way to school or back home riding pillion with their parents have spurred the city police to look into safety aspects of the issue. In at least one accident case the woman riding a two-wheeler had not worn a helmet leading to serious injuries to her, besides of course the child dying from the fall.
The Hyderabad traffic police are now tightening its belt on the helmet rule for all riders, especially parents travelling with school kids. Among two young school girls who lost their lives in road mishaps last week, one sustained a cracked skull while other one’s head got crushed under the wheel of a bus. Road safety experts note that the pillion rider is at a greater risk of suffering serious head injuries in an accident.
Traffic police DCP says parents should ensure that the kids are safe in the pillion seat and have something to hold on to in case of sudden braking. Helmet dealers in the city say that hardly anyone comes to them asking for a helmet for children, leaving them to not keeping a stock of the item any more.
While the city traffic police are enforcing the helmet rule on riders and pillion riders, children riding pillion are at a significantly higher risk. Indian Federation of Road Safety chief functionary M. Vinod Kanumula says, “Wearing helmets is mandatory in all states, but the government has never focussed on safety issues relating to children.”
“Children come back from school with heavy school bags after a tiring day. While riding back home they are vulnerable to lose balance in case of sudden braking. There are chances that the child may slip and fall as there is little to hold on to. Also, after an exhausting day at school, often a child dozes off midway on the way home, making it very dangerous for him/her,” says Chandra Shekar, a father of a child.
“There are child motorcycle helmets in the market, although all accessories stores do not stocking these. Even if kids’ helmets are not available easily, a responsible parent would head out and get it from wherever it is sold. Online stores are another place where a kid’s helmet can be bought. There is no room for excuses,” said Mr. Kanumula.
“Safety of the pillion rider is as much at risk as the rider. I can tell you from years of experience that there is no fear in the public about traffic safety laws and rules. The fear of getting caught and penalised must be instilled,” says Dr. Kamal Soi, member of National Road Safety Council of the ministry of road transport and highway. “Rules are strict on paper but authorities concerned need to work harder to enforce them,” he added.
A helmet dealer in Abids, Mohd Salim, says, “There is no demand for children helmets. At the most just one is sold in a month. As a result, we do not keep helmets at the store and get it only if somebody wants it.”
There are of course a few who follow the helmet rule -- not out of fear of a penalty but in the general safety interests of the family. Debu Sinha, a resident of Abids, says, “I make sure my children wear their helmets when they ride pillion with me. It may be a small trip just round the corner of the street, but one cannot foretell accidents and the risk is there all the time. Helmets save lives, which should be easy to understand.”
