Motorists wear face masks but not helmets during pandemic

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:  4.5.2020

With lockdown still in force across the city, motorists who are venturing out with a face mask on are giving the helmet a miss. Police ,who are concentrating more on those venturing out without a permit during the pandemic, are failing to pay the necessary attention to the ones without a helmet.

This is despite the fact that 90 percent of the fatalities caused are due to riding without protection.

But the police claim that they have registered more than 30000 cases against motorists who have been flouting the rules since lockdown.

Though the number of check points have been increased across the city, it is mostly law and order personnel who are manning these checkpoints and since they cannot book helmet violation cases, they just question them and let them go even without levying them with a fine.

Most of the riders are also taking liberty and coming out without helmet as they are aware that the police are unlikely to book them under these circumstances.

Also the checks on helmet is only done on the main arterial roads like Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road, whereas the bikers who travel in the bylanes go scot free.

With no vehicles out on the road, chances of accidents are high, as the motorists tend to speed up on the empty roads.

“Police should concentrate on helmet offence even now. I see most of the youngsters on bike roaming around the city without helmet. I have wondered many times why they are not being caught,” said Sharadha, a senior citizen from Kilpauk.

A traffic police official at Teynampet signal blamed the motorists saying many of them presume that they can go without wearing helmet when go to nearby areas.

“Road accidents can be prevented only if the motorists realize their responsibility and follow the traffic rules with self-discipline,” he said.

A senior police officer said that the instructions remain the same whether it is lockdown or normal days, an offence is an offence. “We have in fact fining both riders and pillion riders,” he said.

STILL A VIOLATION: Two-wheeler riders are going unpunished despite not wearing helmets