The Hindu : Helmet rule to be enforced from May 7

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Helmet rule to be enforced from May 7

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD April 29. It's finally in force after a lot of dilly-dallying by the police. Two-wheeler riders in the city have just a week more to buy helmets. From May 7, any rider found without a helmet will be fined, while pillion riders will face the same music from May 15.

The Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic, D.T. Nayak, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that though section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939, made it compulsory for riders and pillion riders to wear a helmet, it had not been implemented.

The only exception is for Sikhs wearing a turban. People with health problems like cervical spondylitis would have to carry a certificate issued by a civil surgeon whenever they ride a two-wheeler.

Mr. Nayak kept reiterating that the implementation of the provisions of the law was ``only in the best interests of two- wheeler riders.'' When asked about the problem of non-availability of helmets in most of the two dozen-odd shops, he said it would only be a temporary hitch. "When traders realise the volume of business, they will not hesitate to go to any place and get additional stocks,'' he said.

Furnishing details of accidents in which two-wheelers were involved, the number of people injured and deaths, he said, in the year 2000, 1,568 accidents had been witnessed, in which 204 people lost their lives, while 1,634 had been injured. In the year 2001, the figure was 1775 accidents, 206 deaths and 1980 injured. During 2002, 211 people died and 2,149 people had been injured in 2,040 accidents. This year, 51 people lost their lives and 633 were injured in 590 accidents.

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