The seat-belt norm introduced in Chennai recently is part of a series of steps taken by the transport department to make road travel safer. However, many of those regulations have already entered the graveyard of history because of lack of will to strictly enforce them. Will the seat-belt rule follow suit? J Santhosh looks into mechanisms evolved earlier to understand why they failed to work and gets the impression that half-hearted measures will never work. If you don’t impose laws with an iron will, bikers will safely assume that it’s okay to strap the helmet onto the bike without bothering to actually wear it. If other cities like Delhi can implement the helmet and seat-belt rules, why can’t we?
Reducing the number of deaths in road accidents in the State needs no rocket science. Adherence to the simple and compulsory rule of wearing a helmet could save the lives of thousands of motorbike riders. Though the rule has been in the law books for decades, it has been so neglected that two-wheeler riders don’t think of non-adherence as a violation anymore.
Warnings are issued at regular intervals that violators would be penalised but police enforcement is inconsistent which is why you can spot any number of bikers brazenly zip past policemen, without helmets.
Despite several awareness campaigns stressing the importance of wearing helmets, many bikers still consider it a hindrance. The widespread defiance makes it difficult for the police to enforce the rule.
Another reason why the police perhaps hesitate to ensure compliance is the fear that it would make the government unpopular. The element of self-censorship stems from past experience. For example, during the previous DMK regime, when the police stringently enforced the helmet rule, nearly 95 per cent of bikers were seen wearing them.
However, within a couple of days, the then chief minister openly urged the police personnel to not be very tough on the public and exempt women drivers. “Soon after, the police stepped off the pedal, realising there was no political will to enforce what could be seen as unpopular. The public generally views the actions of police as that of the government,” says a senior police officer. With the compliance of the law in such a sorry state it should come as no surprise that nearly 60 per cent of road accidents every year involve two-wheelers. The victim usually dies of injuries to the head.
“Past experiences in various countries have proved that only stringent enforcement would make the motorists comply with a rule. Enforcement must be consistent and prolonged until the mindset of the people changes.
Mere sloganeering or conducting awareness campaigns will not help change the behaviour of our commuters,” says A Narayanan, who had filed a public interest litigation seeking steps to curb the spate of road accidents in the State.