Helmet rule: Off again, on again!

After months of hither and dither, the government has finally decided to make helmets compulsory from November 1, 2006. As most of you might have read here and in other places, the government just wasn’t able to make up its mind, in the face of all the pressure they were being subjected to. For example, they had to ponder on very important aspects like:
– Are helmets really needed to keep one’s head safe?
– Are they required for the pillion rider also?
– Don’t they result in hair loss for the rider?
– Will they result in young people not driving bikes because they won’t look cool anymore?

Okay, jokes apart, I think in the face of Bangalore’s growing traffic, this rule should have come into effect ages ago.

The rule will come into effect within the limits of the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA), Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Hubli-Dhawad and Belgaum city corporations. The Bellary City Corporation area has been exempted in view of the high temperature there (!).

It now remains to be seen whether this is going to be another of those rules that WE will not ever follow!

15 Comments so far

  1. M O H A N (unregistered) on October 30th, 2006 @ 11:33 am

    First let the government properaly apshalt the roads ( continiously round the clock), light the roads properly and then implement this… if somebody does a study after implementation there will be marginal drop in accident death rates..did we have to go thru all these nosence just for some fun?

    A helmet for both riders is a must as our brains get damaged at more than 8 KMPH for low impacts!!!

    Its a brain bird idea just to implement helmets without correcting the major flaws!

    cheers
    mohan!


  2. Kishor (unregistered) on October 30th, 2006 @ 2:10 pm

    Since I’ve personally experienced head injury trauma in my family, I would sincerely advice two-wheeler riders and those at the pillion to wear helmets as a preventive measure. It may not be 100 foolproof, but it will reduce the impact in case of any eventualities. Don’t wait for the government to decide on helmets. Since it’s your head, you decide!


  3. Sanjiv (unregistered) on October 30th, 2006 @ 4:05 pm

    If you do not wear a helmet, you do not have a head worth protecting


  4. SloganMurugan (unregistered) on October 30th, 2006 @ 4:41 pm

    There’s an urban legend that Bangarappa once won the election because he promised to remove the Helmet rule in the 80s. Is that true?


  5. Divs (unregistered) on October 30th, 2006 @ 8:00 pm

    You know whats the best thing you can gift to your friend/husband/spouse/kids? Its the HELMET, without any doubt!! My best friend gifted me the same and thank God, my face escaped some major injuries in an acident in 2005. Even though the culprit was badly dug up & poorly lit Bannerghatta road but its your head & the its protection your resposibility. So go ahead and gift a helmet, don’t wait for those stupid governing bodies to implement any such rules.


  6. Sajith M (unregistered) on October 31st, 2006 @ 2:49 am

    I always wear a helmet. That said, I also think it should be left to the individual to decide if he/she wants to wear a helemt or not.

    And Btw, I have a nagging feeling that the injury/death rates are going to come down more by have better and well lit roads than by having compulsory helemts


  7. anon (unregistered) on October 31st, 2006 @ 6:49 am

    Sorry for the unrelated topic. I was hoping someone would post/comment on the CM’s son’s fast growing repertoire of criminal skills. Even more irking is the CM trying to pass it off as the folly of youth. Such kind of behavior can only go unpunished in a Banana republic. I think these kind of incidents show us that we are almost there.


  8. prakash singh (unregistered) on October 31st, 2006 @ 8:14 am

    Bentley Makes it Debut in Hyderabad Car Market with an Exclusive
    Cermony

    Hyderabad: Wyclef Jean sang, `Life styles of the rich and famous.
    Some die with a name, some die nameless’. Well, it is these nameless
    rich that are grabbing the headlines for willing to spend Rs 2 crore
    on a car and that too to drive in Hyderabadi traffic! Yet these
    courageous crorepatis chose to remain anonymous issuing standing
    instructions to the car distributors not to disclose their names.
    The car is Bentley Continental Flying Spur, that is dubbed to be
    the fastest four door in the company’s history with horsepower to
    reach 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds.
    This car was unveiled in the city exclusively for a select
    gathering of 100 guests — mostly the high and mighty
    businessmen,Politicans — who have shown interest in the car, or own
    other such luxury cars.
    And so, in attendance at this special party held at the Novatel
    hotel in Hi-Tec City on Friday night were the bigwigs of Hyderabadi
    business circles — all the prominent Reddys and Rajus and a handful
    of movie stars.
    Spotted eying the car were Venkatram Reddy Owner of Deccan
    Chronicle Holdings who owns a Rolls Royce Phantom worth 2.5 Crores
    in Hyderabad ,Teja Raju, son of Ramalinga Raju of Satyam computers ,
    Mustafa Alam Khan from the Shah Alam Khan family who owns some of
    the best vintage cars and a Mercedes Benz C class in the city worth
    35 lakhs, businessmen brothers Prakash Jain and Gautam Jain of
    Stanza retail outlet,Akbaruddin Owaisi MiM Leader from Owaisi Family
    who owns a Volkswagen Touareg V10 SUV ,Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes
    Benz CLS 350 worth 2.5 crores, designer Dinaz Shenoy, and socialites
    like Lata Reddy, Gunny Raju who owns a Lamborghini Gallarado Black
    worth 2 crore in Hyderabad, Shanta John,Kishore Reddy who owns a BMW
    X5 worth 50 lakhs ,Vishnu Actor who owns a Porsche Cayenne SUV worth
    80 lakhs, Iqbal Patni and Raju Jain. Everyone from Srini Raju of TV9
    to actors Nagarjuna who owns a Meercedes Benz S Class and Porsche
    Cayenne SUV worth 2 crores , NTR Junior who owns a BMW X5 SUV worth
    55 lakhs, Pavan Kalyan and even Chiranjeevi were invited for the
    launch of the car in the city.
    It is also believed, that two richie rich from the city have
    already booked the car. Again Satya Bagla, the Indian partner of
    Bentley Motors, refused to disclose who they are all.
    “It is our policy. One cannot disclose customers names, unless
    one gets specific instructions to do so,” he said.
    At a cost of Rs 1.95 crore on road — subject to dollar rates —
    the Bentley is the second most expensive car in the country next to
    the Mercedes S Class which costs a whopping Rs 3 crore. Nonetheless,
    every year over a dozen buy this car in India.
    The only owner who has let the world know he owns a Bentley is
    Vijay Mallya whose Continental Flying Spur has been custom made for
    him in Kingfishers Red and White.


  9. vidya (unregistered) on October 31st, 2006 @ 11:19 pm

    Hindsight is alwyas 20/20.. once a person suffers brain damage because he/she found it too “not cool” to wear a helmet, they alwyas repent saying ” oh, I wish i had worn a helmet!”… this affects not only the driver, but his/her entire family/friends circle, because they have to take care of this “cool” person..


  10. vidya (unregistered) on October 31st, 2006 @ 11:20 pm

    Hindsight is alwyas 20/20.. once a person suffers brain damage because he/she found it too “not cool” to wear a helmet, they alwyas repent saying ” oh, I wish i had worn a helmet!”… this affects not only the driver, but his/her entire family/friends circle, because they have to take care of this “cool” person.. so instead of looking back and repenting, wearing a helmet is the best idea since 2 wheelers were invented!


  11. rubic_cube (unregistered) on November 1st, 2006 @ 11:51 pm

    Helmet is important. Period. Atleast 2 decades ago, our family lost 3 people to 2-wheeler based accidents where fatal results could have been avoided if they had worn helmets. So, Helmet is an absolute must. What is abyssmally hopeless is the whole episode being footballed back and forth and politicized for no reason!

    // Bellary City Corporation area has been exempted in view of the high temperature there. //
    So what happens in Delhi, Jaipur, Bhopal etc? Do 2wheeler drivers do not wear helmets? It is better than getting a sunstroke and falling down, right? Somebody please invite an airconditioned helmet, please!

    PS; Will someone delete that spam comment please?


  12. rubic_cube (unregistered) on November 1st, 2006 @ 11:53 pm

    * please invent


  13. Ravi (unregistered) on November 6th, 2006 @ 5:42 pm

    DONT MAKE IT A RULE. It is everyone’s prerogative. Guess we are mature enough to decide this ourselves rather some stupid government doing this.
    We are no more illitrates. We know the consequences.
    I drive a bike to my office at a distance of 2 km from my house, never touching any major road atall. why the hell do they make me suffer this pain????

    I’m not going to vote this shit government next time.

    Ppl like me, stand against this.


  14. nikesh (unregistered) on November 8th, 2006 @ 10:18 am

    MAKE COMPLAINTS TO http core.nic.in that HELMET WITH
    FAKE ISI MARKS ARE BEEN SOLD IN BANGALORE


  15. Rajkumar (unregistered) on November 9th, 2006 @ 10:53 am

    Good Collection for Traffic Police, who charges for everything. ;)



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