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Helmet sales up; fatal accidents remain high

Staff Reporter

Two-wheeler riders prefer to pay fines to wearing their headgear

Rajahmundry: When helmet sales picked up in March, the police thought they were successfully implementing the new law for the safety of two-wheeler riders.

But after two months, it came as a shock to the police that most helmet-buyers were not using their headgear and instead `safely' attaching them to the back of their vehicles. As a result the number of road accidents has not reduced in the city. Of the 30 to 50 road accidents that generally occur in the city in a month, five to six are fatal and in other cases victims are partially or completely disabled.

2,500 cases booked

During the weekly special drives by Circle Inspectors (Traffic) in Rajahmundry and Kakinada Corporation limits it was found that the two-wheeler riders were paying penalties from Rs. 100 to Rs. 1000 but refusing to wear helmets for one reason or other. According to K. Vijayapal, Rajahmundry traffic CI the police have booked 2,500 cases from April 1 till now and collected Rs. 3.36 lakhs as penalty.

Scene in Kakinada

The traffic scenario is little better in Kakinada district headquarters.

The enforcing authority is facing many hardships. Six signal systems have been erected with the support of Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation, but none of them has been working for the last two years. "We the problem to the notice of RMC authorities as well as my bosses," said Vijayapal. But the signals have not been restored.

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