|
 All
two-wheeler drivers and pillion-riders shall compulsorily wear
helmets ordered the Tamilnadu government on 1st June 2007. The sale
of helmets went roaring. After almost 9 months, I was curious to see
if people really followed the rule. Deciding to satisfy my
curiosity, I stepped out to two areas of the city with heavy
traffic. Nugambakkam high road and Kathipara junction! The reason to
choose these areas are quite obvious, they do not have anything
called lean hour traffic. Any time from morning 7 till evening 11
these roads stay jammed with traffic.
A young girl passing through the Nungambakkam high road quite
differently hung the helmet in her hand instead of the usual scene
of people hanging helmet to the bike. Probably for them bikes are
more precious than their life! Moving to one of the most common
scene, Helmets placed on top of the petrol tank. I believe people of
different age groups have different reasons for not using their
helmets. If older people get suffocated by the sweat and are not
able to with stand the heat caused by the use of helmets, younger
generation had a complete different version for not wearing their
helmet.
“I do not prefer to wear helmets as my face gets
covered completely and I feel it is not cool” laments Yugesh. One
thing which Yugesh and others should realize is that this rule is
not yet another government rule. This is one laudable regulation by
the government for the benefit of public. The rule is truly
democratic in the sense, its for the people and of course, has to be
followed by the people and obviously its for the safety of the
people!
The above mentioned scenes equaled to those of
people wearing helmets. Riders of Kathipara are much aware of the
seriousness of the issue. Probably because of the massiveness of the
traffic there! Everyone wore a helmet, hot or cold.
Most often people wore helmets just at the sight
of the sergeant. Somewhere the graph seems to take a downward curve
and people wearing helmets have also reduced comparatively from the
initial period of the rule.
Do not consider yourself smart, if you have
passed by a traffic police without your helmet on. Its nothing but
deceiving yourself.
Everything precious need protection. Your life is
one among them.
Campaign for a
Cause
SOWJANYA.S |
