Creating safer roads for two-wheelers

The latest amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, aimed at protecting young children travelling on two-wheelers, is a highly welcome move

The latest amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, aimed at protecting young children travelling on two-wheelers, is a highly welcome move.

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On many occasions, I have stopped a motorcyclist to warn about a sleeping child riding pillion. The movement of the vehicle probably lulls them into sleep and it is quite common to see a young child sitting behind a parent on a two-wheeler, in deep slumber, oblivious of the danger.

So the safety harness stipulated in the new amendment, to be worn by the child and strapped to the driver of the two-wheeler, will prevent children from slipping and falling down from the vehicle, particularly when they are asleep. The 40kmph speed limit on motorcycles carrying a child up to the age of four years and the mandatory use of quality certified light helmets meant specifically for those above nine months and up to four years, brought about through the amendments will go a long way in protecting young children.

These amendments of February 15, 2022, will kick in after a year and that should give the transport ministry adequate time to educate consumers on the imperative need for such safety measures. The transport ministry should also ensure, through market surveillance, that shops -- both offline and online -- are not flooded with cheap helmets and harnesses that defeat the very purpose of the law, and only those helmets conforming to prescribed standards are sold.

The transport ministry should also determine the useful life of these safety devices and encourage the sale of certified, used harnesses and helmets so that both groups -- those who no longer require them and those who need them -- benefit.

According to the statistical data for 2019, put out by the Union ministry of road transport and highways, as many as 56,136 two-wheeler riders were killed in road accidents during the year, accounting for 37% of such fatalities. The importance of helmets can be gleaned from the fact that out of these, 44,666 persons were travelling without helmets. In addition, 68,260 drivers and 45,354 pillion riders who were injured did not wear helmets.

Given the large number of accidents, two-wheelers are really not a safe transport for children. However, because of their affordability and popularity, the best option is to introduce safety measures aimed at reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities. The transport ministry has already made helmets mandatory for all riders above four years of age and has also stipulated that only ISI marked helmets should be worn..

I now come to another group of two-wheelers that need to be protected -- cyclists. Compared to occupants of other vehicles and even pedestrians killed in road accidents, the fatalities among cyclists may be the lowest - 3 per cent of the total road accident fatalities, constituting 4,196 persons in 2019 -- but every life is precious and there is no reason to leave these highly vulnerable road users unprotected.

In many states, young girls are given bicycles to travel to school as an incentive and I often see girls from villages passing through highways to reach their school and that’s where they are most at risk. Similarly, besides the usual office goers on bicycles, one sees an increasing number of women from economically weaker sections, working as house helps , travelling to work on bicycles. Environment and fitness conscious young people travelling by bicycles is also on the rise. Creating cycle tracks may take time, but helmets can become mandatory immediately.

A number of studies have highlighted the importance of helmets for cyclists and for lack of space, I will quote only one of them. A meta-analysis of 55 studies from 1989-2017, published in the journal- Accident; Analysis & Prevention- in August 2018, concluded that use of bicycle helmets reduced head injury by 48%, serious head injury by 60%, traumatic brain injury by 53%, face injury by 23% and the total number of killed or seriously injured cyclists by 34%. So isn’t it time cyclists were protected too?