Giant helmet aims to instil safety awareness message
It is a memorial raised in the memory of the dead. And that’s where the similarity ends.
The memorial is in the shape of a helmet. And, once again, that’s where the similarity with the protective gear that you put on your head ends.
At 12-ft high and 9 ft in diameter, the giant sized helmet installed in a park in Kota is a gentle reminder for all the deaths that have taken place on the roads, mostly due to failure on part of motorists to adhere to traffic rules.
The cement-and-concrete structure also serves as a gentle reminder to those who are stepping out of their homes without putting on appropriate protective gear such as helmet on twowheelers and safety belt in cars.
The giant helmet is not the only thing on offer at Road Safety and Accident Memorial Park at Parijat colony in Kota. It also has on display signs and symbols pertaining to traffic rules for creating awareness among the masses.
The park has been developed by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in collaboration with Lions Club, Kota North.
“Around 1.50 lakh people die in road accidents in India every year. Of these victims, a sizeable number is those whose lives could have been saved had they been wearing helmet while riding two-wheelers. So we decided to install a helmet to create awareness and motivate people for wearing helmet,” said Varun Rasewat, project chairman, Lions Club, Kota North.
He said a huge billboard carrying names of road mishap victims of Kota should be put up soon at the park. A road safety awareness control room would also be established at the park where a counsellor would impart information about traffic rules.
The park that was thrown open to public earlier this week has started attracting people in large numbers.
Pointing to the people clicking selfies with the helmet, Dinesh Sharma, a para-legal volunteer with the DLSA, said that even if half of them upload it on the social media, it will go a long way in creating awareness on road safety.
Kota’s district and sessions judge Narendra Singh Daddha, who inaugurated the park, was all praise for the innovative way of creating awareness.
Rasewat said a total of nearly ₹2.50 lakh has been spent on getting the helmet constructed and the park established
Taking a firm step to reduce road accident causalities, the Rajasthan government has made helmet mandatory for twowheeler riders across the state with immediate effect.
The state government had in October 2015 issued a notification ending the relaxation given to riders and pillion riders under Central Motor Vehicle Act 1988 and Rajasthan Motor Vehicle Act 1990 thereby making helmet compulsory for rider and pillion rider. It had mandated that helmet to be used should be of ISI grade. Only Sikhs who wear turban have been exempted from the mandatory rule.
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