The casualty ward of any Government hospital is a pitiful sight. It is here that accident victims are brought in, some of whom are in a critical conditions while some are brought in dead. There is blood all around and the whole situation can be a pretty gruesome sight.
Chennai Traffic Police have set about a novel way to reach traffic violators a lesson. Those found riding without a helmet have been taken to the casualty ward of the Government Kilpauk Medical Hospital.
They are made to witness these cases of injury, trauma and death. They are shown the blood splattered bodies and can see the hapless families awaiting news of the condition of their loved ones.
This is done to send a strong message to the traffic violators that this could be their plight if they do not follow traffic regulations. These regulations are meant for their own safety but most bikers fail to comply with these rules. They adopt a carefree attitude, blatantly ignore traffic regulations and seem oblivious of the dangers that may befall them in not wearing helmets.
A recent survey conducted shows how safety takes a back seat. The study was conducted by John Hopkins University and IIT Mumbai under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety. It was found that just 20,000 or 1% of the total 20 lakh pillion riders in Mumbai wear helmets. These statistics are not any better in other cities in India.
During the period 2015-2017 there were a total of 404 fatal accidents involving two wheelers in Mumbai and most victims happened to be pillion riders. The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety has directed use of helmets not only by riders of two wheelers but also by pillion riders. How many will comply with this regulation and how many riders will throw caution to the wind is a matter of debate.
