YesAnish Raju, a 24-year-old business management student, was riding a motorcycle in Hyderabad with his brother Chaitanya Verma, 22, on a Saturday evening in 2021. They get hit by a car and only Ganesh survives as he was wearing a helmet.
Those who choose not to hold their helmet correctly, or don’t wear one at all, risk a life-threatening disaster. more than 69,000 motorcycles Riders died in road accidents in 2021 across India, accounting for 45 per cent of all road accident deaths. Nearly seven out of 10 killed were not wearing a helmet Data from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH). Helmets of the correct standards, when properly fitted, greatly improve the chances of survival during an accident. According to World Health Organization (WHO)A helmet worn correctly and of a certified quality can reduce the risk of fatal injuries in a crash by up to 42 percent and reduce the risk of head injuries by up to 69 percent. securely attached and in the absence of ISI marked helmet is of good quality As mandated by law, the chances of survival of accident victims are very slim.
Motorcyclists, along with pedestrians and occupants of auto-rickshaws, are the most vulnerable road users in Delhi. Together they account for four out of five road accident deaths involving motorcyclists 42 percent of all accidental deaths. They do not have the protective shell of a vehicle around them, which puts them at a much higher risk of serious injury or death if they are involved in an accident.
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helmet-clapping enforcement
In a country like India where motorbikes are a popular mode of travel, the safety of riders should be a priority for all stakeholders. During a crash, a motorcyclist takes the direct force of the hitting object and, in most cases, falls off the bike. Without clasing, the helmet provides no protection to absorb the impact. In the 2021 Hyderabad road accident, wearing a helmet could have saved the life of Chaitanya, a 22-year-old pillion passenger.
Proper helmet use can be promoted through legislation and law enforcement. Enforcing helmet laws has helped increase compliance in many countries. For example, helmet use among motorcyclists has increased almost 90 percent And a year after the introduction of helmet laws in Taiwan, Italy and the United States.
India, at the national level, has already charted out a path to reduce road accidents. this is one 49 of 167 countries to meet all five of the World Health Organization’s recommendations for good helmet legislation. India’s Motor Vehicles Act 129(b) mandates that both a motorcyclist and pillion rider are required by law to wear a helmet and fasten it securely. The challenge is that law is effective only when it is enforced and enforced.
Despite legislation, proper helmet use by pillion riders is still not enforced in many states. Delhi is one of the few places where pillion riders wear helmets. Helmet-clapping enforcement, however, is yet to be implemented strictly in the national capital.
Motorcyclists would not wear helmets if they knew they could escape the law and not get challaned. Often, riders either hold their helmets in their arms, or hang them on the handlebars of the two-wheeler and wear it only when they see police nearby. Mass media campaigns, on television, billboards or social media, along with sustained enforcement to inform the public about how properly fitting helmets have proven to be helpful in saving lives, can help spread awareness on the issue.
A 2022 study The study, led by the John Hopkins International Injury Research Unit for the Delhi Transport Department, found that of the 86 percent of motorcycle riders who wore helmets, only 63 percent of them held it on properly. In addition, correct helmet use (standard helmet properly fitted) was lowest among pillion riders (43%) and motorcyclists on main roads (39%).
It is India’s commitment and the goal of the United Nations to reduce road accident deaths by 50 percent. Second decade of action for road safety, Nitin GadkariThe Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways hopes to meet that target by 2025. This target can be achieved by reducing speeding, building safe infrastructure and enforcing existing laws including helmet-clapping.
The data is clear: Wearing a fitted helmet saves lives. By using a safe systems approach and with the support of relevant government and non-government stakeholders, making helmets mandatory could have prevented many tragic deaths in Delhi and at the national level.
Dr. Nishit Patel is a research faculty at the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit working with various injury prevention programs. Dr. Sarah Whitehead is a public health practitioner with over 25 years of local, national, and
International Institute.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)