City Traffic Police Lahore’s new policy for citizens to wear helmets has resulted in criticism from the people who are demanding the withdrawal of the order.
The traffic police had declared it mandatory for people to use helmets. This policy applies to bikers, pillion riders, and women and children.
The new rules are applicable from the start of November.
The City Traffic Police’s new policy has made it difficult to move without a helmet. Besides it, many factors involving public safety including the broken footpaths, faded signs, and reflectors as well as signal-free corridors have completely been ignored.
Even motorcyclists have not been provided separate lanes for their bikes on the city roads.
Pakistan Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1969, 89-A, orders that: “Rider to wear a helmet. No person shall drive, or ride the pillion seat of, a two-wheeled motor vehicle except when he is wearing a crash helmet.
In this Part, “crash helmet” means a helmet made of such material or stuff and meeting such other necessities as may be established. Currently, the constitution in Pakistan does not prescribe a standard for motorcycle helmets or a necessity for motorcycle helmets to meet an international safety standard such as United Nations Regulation No 22.
Penalty: Driver of the motorcycle without safety helmet 200 PKR.
Traumatic head (brain) injuries are a major cause of death, serious injury, and permanent disability more motorcycle users in Pakistan.
The number of motorcycles in Pakistan is speedily growing, in the year 2016 or 2017 solitary, the total number of motorcycles make was 1,558,964. And the total number of sales was 1,557,792.
The World Health Organization global best practice standard for motorcycle safety is a lawful standard for helmet safety and use of a standard’s mark to recognize helmets, which meet the standard, motorcycle helmet constitutions covering all motorcycle users, and implementation of these constitutions.
According to World Health Organization, Non-helmeted motorcycle users are three times more likely to help brain/head injuries in an accident compared to those wearing a mightily secured helmet. Traumatic head (brain) injuries are a major cause of death, serious injury, and permanent disability more motorcycle users in Pakistan.
Wearing a helmet has been revealing to reduce the risk and severity of injuries more motorcyclists by about 70%, the likelihood of death by almost 40%, and to substantially decrease the costs of health care-associated with such accidents.
But, the question arises here that how can a poor rider afford a helmet
When as per the new policy of the city government, the helmet prices have gone high and out of people’s reach. A normal helmet is priced at Rs. 1,600 to Rs.1, 800 while a quality helmet is for Rs.2, 500 to Rs.3, 000 in the market.
Here’s what CTO Lahore has to add about the concerns when he was being interviewed on this matter:
Although in Section 89 of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965, it is written that we must wear a helmet while riding bikes because, in case of a road accident, you may have a brain injury and may lose a life in this situation. People still don’t follow this rule even now whereas it is necessary to wear Helmets since 1965.
“Pakistan is not like other countries at all, but we can make Pakistan like these countries who follow rules”
If we will follow section 89 of the motor vehicle ordinance 1965, and consider a duty to wear a helmet only then we can save our lives as well as others. he added
Malik Liaqat says, the rate of the helmet was usually 7-800 while imposing, but when the demand for anything is increased then its rate also increases. That’s why; CTO Lahore has fixed an amount from 500-1100rs to buy a helmet easily.
You should give proof of being a good citizen. When you should buy a motorcycle then you must buy a helmet with it, says Liaqat.
“ You should not wait to impose that kind of law. This law has been imposed to save your life and wealth. And there is no importer behind it”.
While talking to him about the public’s criticism, he explained; the reaction of the public is mixed. According to someone, this step is positive as well as negative. It is positive because the life of people saves from damage to wear a helmet. It is also considered negative at the time because ordinary people or poor people do not have enough money to buy such expensive helmets.
Although people have enough money to buy motorcycles, it is quite surprising that they do not have enough money to buy a helmet for security concerns? He questions.
The CTO Lahore said that, if you have a head injury in case of road accidents then you spend 5000 to 10000 rupees on MRI and also spend 15000 to 20000 rupees on CT scan, but you don’t bother to buy a helmet of only 1000 rupees.
Everyone needs to prevent a road accident either poor or rich, buy a helmet, and must wear it at any cost. The CTO Lahore said that we are enforcing this law and we must act upon it. So that yours and others precious life and wealth can be protected from a road accident.
Electronic Challans or E-challans are mostly utilized in Asian countries. It implies a receipt of payment or delivery. It refers to a specific format utilized for depositing/dispatching the commitment/statutory payment at the bank/treasury.
E-Challan System would be that the general public will not break the signal and if by chance people will break the traffic signal, then E-Challan will reach to their home and they would know that what law or rule of traffic they violated.
He states that this E–Challan system would create discipline from among the public. People will not break the traffic signal and they will follow the laws or traffic rules.
More importantly, he mentioned;
“Whenever you buy a car or bike then you must get it registered on your name first. Similarly, when you sell your vehicles, then you must transfer it to another person’s name otherwise you would be heavily fined via E-challans and your license would be canceled”.
