They are coming up with innovative ways to curb increasing road accidents (which have become so common on Indian roads that now they no longer make news). First, they came up with a suggestion to change the colour of the bicycles from boring black to bright orange or yellow so that to increase the visibility of the cyclists on the roads. Now another suggestion (which surprisingly came from the Apex Indian court) is to make the sale of helmets mandatory with the sale of every motorbike or scooter.
Both suggestions sound funny and myopic - especially if they are seen in Indian perspective - first of which is that people badly need to be educated about traffic rules and road manners, secondly giving people something free in India would not ensure that it would be used.
The government should understand (its high time!!) that road safety comes primarily when people respect life in general and to preserve that precious gift of God they strictly follow the traffic rules and regulations, like in other civilised nations in different parts of the world.
The Indian politicians (read opposition parties) might be crying their throat hoarse of price rise and inflation there is one thing in India, which is still dime a dozen -- yes, it is human life....
It is unfortunate and sad but true...
The court talks of helmets becoming a compulsory accessory to be sold with each two-wheeler sold anywhere all across the nation. Incidentally, in India most of the bikers wear their helmets only out of fear of being caught by a cop and not to save themselves from serious head injuries.
It is not unusual to see helmets hanging at the side of the bikes or from the bike handles while the bikers zoom freely. The same biker would quickly put the helmet onto his head (mind you - not worn properly with its buckle fastened but simply put on as a cap) the moment he would spot a policeman. So basically, the helmet is there on the biker's head because the law asks the riders of the two wheelers to wear helmets.
And this is happening with helmets, for which the bikers have spent money. Now imagine the status of helmets, which would come free with the bikes! I wonder if it would ensure their proper usage??
It is not only the bikers and helmets - same goes with seat belts in the cars. Majority of car drivers seem to have an acute dislike for seat belts. They find it suffocating and also do not see any use of unnecessary strapping of humans. But no sooner these drivers are nearing a traffic light or they spot policemen, they quickly pull the seat belt and hang it onto their shoulders (again- it is not clasped properly) and the shoulder is set free the moment that emergency situation is passed.
The policemen too - on most of the occasions - will stop a car because it has solar filming and a bike because it is modified and looks jazzy - but they will never check or fine a car driver for not wearing seat belts and rarely stop or penalise a biker for not wearing a helmet. It seems even policemen see helmets and seat belts as unnecessary accessories designed by some lunatic to mar the pleasures of driving with freedom.
On analysing this behaviour deeply, what I could gather was that life is cheap here, so people neither bother to save their own lives nor they have respect for the lives of other people and therefore why use a seat belt and why wear a helment - even if it comes free.
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