Bengaluru: The city traffic police are turning a blind eye towards children riding pillion without wearing helmet, which puts their lives at risk. Parents are often seen ferrying their children without helmet to schools, without realizing the danger they are putting their wards into, and they often get away without paying fines.
According to the statistics provided by the city traffic police, in the year 2018, they have registered as many as 29.89 lakh cases, which less than in 2016 (36.20 lakh) and 2017 (37.19 lakh).
A senior officer said that riding without helmet is very dangerous and people do not realise that it may result in death or serious brain damage. People, especially teenagers, think that wearing helmet makes them look ‘uncool’, he said.
He further said that people also compromise on the quality by purchasing low quality helmets, which do not serve the purpose. “We wear helmet to protect our head when we fall and wearing low quality or half helmets will not help,” he said.
Parents tend to think that they are safest riders, while riding with their children and they do not find it necessary for their children to wear helmets but they forget that not everyone around them are safe riders.
Nagasimha G. Rao, Director, Child Rights Trust, said that the schools along with the traffic police should take the initiative and conduct awareness programs and campaigns for children as well as parents and educate them about the importance of helmets.
He said, “The parents often compromise on the mode of transport and ride two wheelers ferrying two to three children at a time and only the rider will be wearing the helmet. It does not imply only to the rider, irrespective of whoever is riding pillion should wear a helmet and especially children whose life is more precious.”
Additional Commissioner (traffic) told Deccan Chronicle that he will ask his men to look into the issue of children not wearing helmets. He said that there will be strict implementation on penalties for riding without helmet and will direct the city traffic police to conduct special drives in the coming week.
