Hyderabad: Pillion riders in the tri-commissionerates will soon be penalised for not complying with the primary precautionary measure of wearing headgear. The intention is not to panic the public but to prevent loss of lives.
Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act mandates that a person driving or riding (pillion rider) (otherwise than inside a car, on a motorcycle of any class or description) shall, while in a public place, wear protective headgear conforming to the standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
In only a few cities in the country such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi, is the rule of wearing a helmet by the pillion rider mandatory. Despite the rule being in place under the Motor Vehicle Act, traffic police have never made it compulsory. No cases have been registered for violation of the Motor Vehicle Act by the pillion rider. The number of deaths of pillion riders in road accidents has now forced the police to enforce the rule. Around 129 persons were killed in road accidents since January in Hyderabad commissionerate limits. Forty-two of the fatalities were of persons on two wheelers and 17 of the deceased were pillion riders.
The Cyberabad and Rachakonda police have started the exercise of analysing road accidents, and recording the factors that led to the mishaps and also violations by both parties, in order to come up with necessary corrective measures.
Referring to a recent incident in Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, Cyberabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said that a pillion rider lost `6 lakh in insurance claim for not wearing a helmet.
“The public should understand the need of wearing the headgear as it may not only prevent loss of life but also leads to denial or partial payment of insurance. It is high time that motorists realise that they must follow road safety rules,” he said.
Rachakonda DCP (in-charge) N. Divyacharan Rao said: “As of now the enforcement for not wearing a helmet by the pillion rider is not being done in the commissionerate. Pedestrian deaths are more, followed by the deaths of motorcycle drivers and the riders. Soon, we will start the enforcement against non-compliance of the helmet rule by the pillions.”
When contacted, Hyderabad Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Anil Kumar said: “Though wearing of headgear by a pillion is mandatory according to the Motor Vehicle Act, it is not currently being enforced. About 80 percent of motorists are complying with the helmet rule in the city. After we find complete compliance of the rule by the drivers, then the enforcement will be done for the pillions.”
