BENGALURU: As many as 201 people have died in traffic accidents in the city in the first seven months of this year, said City Police Commissioner N S Megharikh.
The police chief and Transport Commissioner Ramegowda flagged off a ‘Wear Safety Helmet’ awareness campaign organised by the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) at Queen’s Circle on MG Road here on Saturday.
About 1,000 people including college students, employees of private firms along with members of the Cobra unit of the traffic police took part in a motorcycle rally.
There are more than 38 lakh two-wheelers in the city and motorcyclists not wearing helmets are prone to serious injuries, police said. The number of people killed in road accidents in the city in 2012, 2013 and 2014 are 310, 309 and 332, respectively.
As per available data, wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by around 69 per cent and death by around 42 per cent, stated a BTP release.
It is observed that motorcycle riders tend to wear a helmet only on seeing a traffic policeman. Otherwise, either the rider or the pillion rider carry the helmet. Some riders wear helmets without straps and it appears as if they wear such helments for the sake of the police.
It is necessary to wear a protective helmet while riding motorcycles. The head is always vulnerable to injury. Bruises, skin abrasions and cuts, even broken bones will heal, while brain damage may last a lifetime, thus endangering the human life, the release said. Motorcyclists are more prone to crash injuries than car occupants because motorcycles are not enclosed, leaving riders vulnerable to contact with hard objects, the release added.