No helmet, no fuel did not work
Given the rise in road mishaps and the deaths and injuries that occur due to it, the government has come up with a unique plan to ensure use of helmets among two wheeler users.
The move initially kick started from Srinagar was aimed at discouraging the two wheeler drivers from avoiding the use of helmets. Started in September last the district administration in Srinagar asked motorcyclists to use helmets as no fuel station would entertain any biker for providing fuel if the biker happens to be without a helmet.
An order was issued by District Development Commissioner Srinagar saying that large number of road accidents have been reported involving two wheelers in Srinagar city.
The order has warned all fuel pump stations in Srinagar to avoid non helmet users and no fuel should be provided to them at any costs. The move though a novel one was however, ignored right from the day one.
The fuel stations did not follow the rule and even today no biker is questioned by the fuel stations whenever a biker runs in to get fuel.
Avoiding the use of helmets is a major concern in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The traffic cops started several campaigns to address the issue however, all their efforts met a dead end as most of the bikers do not use helmets even today.
Despite challaning and even seizing of bikes did not work bikers continue to avoid the use of helmets?
Notable, a muna Bhai style of policing was also experimented by the traffic cops as the cops offered free helmets to those bikers who were not using helmets as a safety measure. But this move too did not bear the fruits that the cops intended.
Surprisingly, the no helmet- no fuel rule was implemented in various other areas including Noida from June this year. However, the move proved a dampener as the bikers managed to get fuel at almost fuel stations as nobody questioned them on the use and avoiding of helmets.
The no helmet-no fuel, rule was meant for the safety of the bikers but the way the rule was implemented led to its failure. The government should have ensured novel ways to get the rule implemented and for this the fuel station owners should have been asked to deposit their CCTV footage every week wherein the traffic cops would have checked the footage for violations on their behalf.
This would have created a deterrent for the fuel station owners and they would have ensured to implement the rule in letter and spirit.
KV Network
