Campaign towards Helmet Drive ...
With helmeted riders having upto a 73 per cent lower fatality rate than unhelmeted riders, the regional transport authorities in Coimbatore are making concerted efforts to create awareness among the public on the advantage of helmets in saving precious lives.Loss of a life means, tragedy for three generations - parents, wife and the children, as the helmeted riders have upto an 85 per cent reduced incidence of severe, serious and critical injuries than unhelmeted riders, according to T Gunasekaran, Deputy Transport Commissioner.As the Government order making helmet wearing compulsory for two wheeler and pillion riders, coming into force by July, people are advised to use headgear to prevent loss of life and also avoid penalty from the implementing agencies, he said.Saying that the majority of two-wheeler riders had a tendency to use helmets only to avoid action from police or enforcement agencies and buying low quality ones, Gunasekaran said that helemts should be as per the requirements of the BIS, as laid down in Motor Vehicle Act and Rules.The department, with the assistance of police would initiate stringent action against those selling plastic-moulded or non-ISI helmets, particularly on the road-sides, he warned.With the two-wheeler population crossing 65 lakh in Tamil Nadu excluding Chennai, there was a huge demand for ISI-marked helmets, which the manufacturers were gearing up to cater, a helmet retailer said. As part of the awareness campaign, the transport authorites are organising a one-day camp on May 17, at a marriage hall in the city, where experts would be educating the finer parts of helmet usage, Gunasekaran said.According to statistics, per mile travelled, the number of deaths on two-wheelers was about 14 times the number in cars.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the USA estimated that helmets reduced the risk of death in a motorcycle crash by 29 per cent and the risk of fatal head injury by 40 per cent, the retailer said. There were a total number of 54,368 accidents in Tamil Nadu during 2006, killing 11,009 and injuring 69,546 persons.The two-wheeler companies in the region were told to provide helmets to the buyers of new vehicles, as registration would be done only if the invoice of purchase of helmet was attached to the application, Gunasekaran said.However, there was differences and resentment among the public on the action of department, since ISI-marked helmets were available cheaper than what the two-wheeler companies were selling. Moreover, the public can bargain with the helmet traders, who at this juncture wanted to capture business, the retailer pointed out.It was proposed to sell helmets at discounted rate during the camp and also demonstrate the quality aspects of ISI-marked headgears, so that the public could decide on protecting their precious lives, the retailer said.
