The much-publicised “No-helmet No-fuel” campaign launched by the Chittoor police a couple of months ago in the district has resulted in little or no impact among two-wheeler riders.
Involving students and community police officers (volunteers), surveillance was posted at all petrol stations not only in Chittoor municipal corporation limits, but also in all municipalities, and vibrant panchayats and mandal headquarters such as Kuppam, Satyavedu and Piler. Wearing specially designed uniforms as “brand ambassadors” for road safety, the helmet-rule enforcement squads remained active for a couple of weeks, but slowly the intensity started dwindling, and now the latest position everywhere is that helmet or no helmet, it doesn’t matter.
During initial days of the campaign, the petrol pump dealers extended full cooperation to the police personnel, denying fuel to motorists without helmet, saying that they were under surveillance. Relaxation followed by gradual absence of surveillance teams provided a chance for customers who wish to lock horns with the police rather than buying a helmet.
In majority of the cases, the public in rural areas claimed that wearing helmet was leading to problems such as headache, unable to hear sounds from multiple directions and lack of concentration on roads. The petrol pump operators started relaxing the rule by allowing fuel in bottles and into tanks after dusk when the ambassadors sign off. “Instead of no-helmet no-fuel rule, the police should slap heavy penalties. After all, getting fuel is not a problem to anyone with multiple pranks. One youth comes with a helmet. The same helmet is shared by half a dozen others,” a petrol pump operator in Chittoor observed.
In Puttur, with two engineering colleges and several academic institutions, the number of students riding bikes is naturally high, but with poor enforcement of the helmet rule. The students argue that the helmet rule s not necessary for rural roads with bad road conditions. “Not that buying a helmet is costly, but riding a bike with helmet through bad roads with potholes is more dangerous than without one,” is their unanimous answer.
Elderly bike riders, who were never used to helmets for decades, observe that driving with a helmet is very confusing to them on the roads, besides stressing them out mentally and physically.
A senior police officer in Puttur sub-division observed: “I see that youth enjoy riding bikes without helmets. Even my own, under 18, does not care about the helmet rule in spite of admonitions. First of all, we need wide and safe roads. Public too are afraid of wearing helmets on bumpy roads. When crowds throng pumps without helmets, fuel cannot be denied to the. We are helpless,” he said.
