Govt can’t do much if people don’t participate, say experts
NEWDELHI: Helmet violations will not be controlled unless government agencies and citizens join hands, say experts. Getting private partners and road safety NGOs on board can help promote awareness, they said.
“The police cannot on their own make people wear helmets through prosecutions. You need to create awareness. Punishments alone are never a deterrent. With more road safety NGOs coming up, the trick will to use their expertise,” said Maxwell Pereira, former traffic chief.
Many private companies have taken the onus upon themselves. In some companies in Gurgaon, employees are not allowed to use the campus parking if they do not wear helmets.
“There is a dedicated two-wheeler parking lot in the company campus, but if you are not wearing your helmet, the security guard does not let you in. Though earlier I thought this was slightly unfair, now I think it is a great initiative to encourage employees to wear safety gear,” said Aniruddh Tiwari, an IT engineer.
In December last year, the Delhi traffic police had launched the traffic sentinel scheme, which encouraged regular citizens to report traffic violations.
Out of total 131,467 violations reported through this scheme, over 43,000 were helmet violations.
“The idea is to maximise our resources and make regular people our eyes. There are many places where our police personnel cannot reach but by giving charge to such sentinels we are giving them a sense of ownership towards the city,” said joint commissioner of police (traffic), Garima Bhatnagar.
Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO of road safety NGO, SaveLife Foundation, said that though Delhi, compared to other cities, has the highest helmet compliance, a lot still needs to be done.
Engineering, enforcement and education need to be combined to solve helmet violations. That means people need to know why they are supposed to wear helmets, the government must pass a strong law to deter riders from violations, and lastly there should be innovations in helmet designs.
“Delhi police and the government need to come together to help citizens. We cannot put the entire onus on people. In India I have never seen that a rider takes proper training before starting to ride a motorcycle or a scooter. The problem here is that with no proper training they never realise the importance of helmets and other safety measures of riding,” Tewari said.
Another problem is helmets for children. “There is no law for children to mandatorily wear helmets. Helmets are not available in their size. When they are more vulnerable then why not give them safety gear?” said Tewari.
MANY PRIVATE COMPANIES HAVE TAKEN THE ONUS UPON THEMSELVES. IN SOME COMPANIES IN GURGAON, EMPLOYEES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE CAMPUS PARKING IF THEY DO NOT
WEAR HELMETS