57% bikers in 10 cities including Mumbai do not wear helmets: survey

According to the survey, about 29% percent ride without helmet for ‘comfort’, 13 % due to cost of helmet, 16% believe that helmets are not mandatory by law.

A survey conducted by a private insurance company has revealed that nearly 57 per cent of two wheeler owners ride bikes without a helmet and as many as 74 per cent of pillion riders neglect to wear one.

Two-wheelers remain one of the most unsafe modes of transport.(Representational Image)

The survey was conducted to understand the perception of riders and pillion riders on the usage of helmets.

According to the survey, about 29% percent ride without helmet for ‘comfort’, 13 % due to cost of helmet, 16% believe that helmets are not mandatory by law and 22% like to ride bare-headed due to a force of habit.

The survey was conducted as a part of CRS activity by Excide life insurance company. 1,118 people were directly interviewed from Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Patna, Lucknow, Kolkata, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

The survey states that nearly a quarter (23%) of riders would allow a pillion rider without a helmet, and an equal proportion of pillion riders (24%) admit that they would accept such a lift, helmetless, if they were offered. It also revealed that the issue of pillion rider’s safety is particularly alarming as 23% of respondents believe that the pillion rider actually faces less risk than the rider of the two-wheeler.

“It is a known fact that helmets work for two-wheelers riders. Even though they don’t make you invincible, helmets decrease the severity of the injury. Yet, surprisingly, more than 70 % of Indians admit to have ridden a bike as a rider without wearing a helmet,” said Mohit Goel, Director - Marketing and Direct Channel, Exide Life Insurance.

Two -wheelers remain one of the most unsafe modes of transport; wearing an appropriate helmet improves riders’ chances of surviving an accident by 42% and helps avoid up to 69% of injuries to riders. In past few years, Maharashtra government has taken various steps to make helmet usage mandatory and change the mindset of riders. It has started taking indemnity bond from every person approaching RTO for two wheeler licence. Directing two wheeler dealers to provide two helmets each, while selling new vehicle, the state government had also issued run a campaign - “No Helment No Petrol”- to curb deaths in bike accidents, but the drive could not be enforced and back fired. According to a new new rule that has already come into effect, the fine for riding without helmet is Rs 500, instead of the earlier which was Rs 100.