It is vital to wear a helmet while riding a two-wheeler and it’s equally important to wear it properly, said some neurosurgeons who were on roads to create awareness about the utility of a helmet on the occasion of World Head Injury Awareness Day on Monday.
Members of the Association of Neuroscientists of Eastern India and Park Clinic, in collaboration with Kolkata traffic police, carried out the awareness drive on how to wear a helmet at some of the busy crossings in the city.
“The motto of today’s event was to lay emphasis on the importance of wearing helmets properly. It is extremely important to fasten the chin strap properly so that in case of a crash, the helmet does not come off. Many riders do not understand that,” said neurosurgeon Sandip Chatterjee.
According to the city police, 2,60,568 two-wheeler riders were prosecuted for riding without a helmet in 2021.
In all, 51,014 cases of rash driving were reported in Kolkata in 2021 and as many as 27,118 of them involved two-wheelers.
A senior officer of the traffic police department said two-wheeler riders without helmets are at risk of suffering serious head injuries. In 2021, 68 of the 196 road accident victims in Kolkata were riding two-wheelers, the police said.
Doctors and officers from the traffic police department held camps at the Park Circus seven-point crossing, Minto Park, and the Chowringhee-Park Street and Gariahat crossings on Monday.
A motorcyclist, who was stopped by the police at Gariahat, was wearing a helmet with a loose strap.
“I always wear a helmet, but the strap is a little loose. When I took it for repair, the mechanic said it would cost me Rs 700,” the motorcyclist told a doctor.
The doctor responded: “It is for you to decide, what is more important to you — Rs 700 or your head.”
Leaflets with details on the importance of wearing a helmet were distributed at these intersections.
“It is important for the people to understand that they should wear a helmet not because of the police or to avoid paying a fine. They should wear it for their own safety,” neurosurgeon Chatterjee told The Telegraph.
The penalty for riding a two-wheeler without a helmet was Rs 100. The fine amount was increased 10 times and made Rs 1,000 in January 2022.
A senior traffic cop in Lalbazar said the number of prosecutions for helmet-less riding has come down compared with previous years after the fine amount was increased.
In 2021, the city police had prosecuted 1.1 lakh two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets. They were identified with the help of CCTV cameras.
