“Helmets are heavy and bulky”
“Helmets cause hair loss”
“There are no traffic cops on the road, why helmets?”
For all the motorcyclists who don’t like to wear their standard safety gear aka helmets while riding, coming up with such excuses is the norm even if it poses a threat to their life and safety. However, this eye-opening video clearly shows why they are a MUST whenever one hits the road because helmets can and do save lives.
The unidentified video shows a motorcyclist heading towards a narrow gap between a truck and pavement. In an attempt to overtake the truck, he loses his balance and falls down. The truck rolls over his head but he manages to survive without any visible injury, thanks to his helmet. The man later gets up and sits on the pavement.
The video was shared by Raj Tilak Roushan, DCP Traffic, Nagpur.
Watch how Helmet helped him#roadsafety pic.twitter.com/cL1tpYK6XZ
— Raj Tilak Roushan, IPS (@rtr_ips) January 10, 2019
Police departments across the country have been aggressively stressing the importance of wearing helmets, especially on social media. Motorcyclists riding without helmets are a major cause of on-road fatalities. According to Road Accident Report, at least 98 riders died daily in India in 2017 because they were not wearing helmets. As per the statistics, 35,975 people died while 36,678 were grievously injured.
But recently, ‘Helmet Sakti Virodhi Kruti Samiti’, a group of citizens led by Shiv Sena leader Mahadev Babai organised a ‘helmet funeral’ in the city. The group was protesting against the mandatory imposition of helmets on motorcyclists by the police. In their argument, the group said that that helmets cause hair loss and spinal problems, a claim which is yet to be verified.
Pune group takes out ‘funeral’ to oppose helmets via /r/nottheonion https://t.co/HjpQlpN2RX pic.twitter.com/UWALilKWhK
— Lost At Home Podcast (@TheLostAtHome) January 9, 2019
A similar protest was organised in the city last year in November by Anti-Helmet Compulsion Action Committee, a group consisting of NGOs, activists, politicians and citizens. But police commissioner K Venkatesham maintained that the mandatory imposition of helmets on citizens was to ensure road safety, reports Pune Mirror.
