Awareness drive on compulsory wearing of helmets

To make commuters aware, especially those riding two-wheelers, about the need to make wearing of helmets mandatory, the city police have launched an awareness drive.

The traffic education wing led by Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar distributed safety headgear to school children and their parents who come to drop their wards at school. The drive was launched at the School of Eminence for Girls, Mall Road, here.

“We want that the people wear helmets on a mandatory basis for their safety and not out of fear that the police would take punitive measures against them,” said the Police Commissioner. The main objective of launching the campaign in the school was that children are made part of it so that they are aware and encourage their parents and other family members to wear helmets.

Around 150 helmets were distributed today. These helmets meet the standards underlined in the Motor Vehicles Act. These were sponsored by a prominent insurance firm. “Obeying traffic rules in letter and spirit is not a choice, but the duty of every citizen. If we start following the norms, this would reduce road mishaps by more than 50 per cent,” said Bhullar.

On why helmets were distributed to schoolchildren when underage driving is illegal and violates norms, the CP pointed out that the lives of those riding pillion were as precious as of those driving the vehicles.

Traffic education wing in-charge sub-inspector Daljit Singh said that over 1.50 lakh people died in road mishaps in the country and a majority of them suffered critical head injuries during the accidents. He said wearing helmets can save many precious lives.

“It is not only the man who loses his life alone in accidents, it leaves a family devastated due to carelessness in not wearing a safety head gear,” he pointed out. He also added that the helmets should meet the standards prescribed under the Motor Vehicles Act.