Since November 2006, wearing of helmets has been compulsory for two-wheeler riders in the city. The mandatory rule caught up with the riders only after a few years and that too after imposition of fines and sustained awareness campaigns on safety. But, how many of them are aware of the kind of helmet one should wear while riding a scooter or a bike. A quick survey of the city scene reveals very few riders are aware that they should wear ISI mark helmets and not the cheaply available helmets on the roadside.
It’s time to think of your head, whether you like it or not! Even if the Bangalore city traffic police is not bothered about Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) helmets, one should realise the need for good quality helmets for protection from head injuries especially during accidents.
Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 says, it is mandatory to wear helmets of ISI standards while riding a motor cycle in a public place. However, the State Government can make rules as it may think fit. There are have been many court orders that has clearly stated that any act aimed at doing public good is not violation of any fundamental right. But the police have failed in implementing this rule and nowadays, they hardly make any checks unless it is to collect their regular moolah. Sathish, a commuter says, “I am using a helmet without the ISI mark for the past six months but cops are busy collecting fines and don’t bother to check the helmets.” The sale of helmets has been increasing day by day, but it is the roadside vendor who makes the maximum sale. Bangaloreans have been going in for the cap helmets which hardly meets any kind of standards set by the BIS. “I sell 15 to 20 helmets a day and so far I have not been troubled by the police authorities. Most of the customers buy the cap helmets which is in the range of `120 to `150 each. I don’t have any problems in selling the ISI marked helmets but customers don’t want to spend so much money on the helmets, they wear the cap helmets to escape the fines,” said Birondar, a road side vendor near Shanthi Nagar.
M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police, Bangalore Traffic said, “Right now , we are happy with the fact that the commuters have taken to the habit of wearing helmets. It becomes very difficult to check whether the rider is wearing an ISI helmet or not but we are trying our best. “In the past six months, we have caught more than two lakh riders without helmets. We have been busy ensuring lane discipline and not able to concentrate on the issue whether a rider is wearing an ISI standard helmet or not. But Our immediate target will be to levy a `100 fine on commuters who do not wear ISI mark helmets,” he added.
“Commuters should definitely stop wearing cap helmets because it does not protect your head. They should not compromise when it comes to issues of safety. Since they do not want to violate the law, they go in for cheaper helmets,” opines Ramesh Naidu, a shop owner on J C Road.
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