Amidst rumours that the Andhra Pradesh Government has deferred the helmet rule, Transport and Police Departments are focusing on spreading awareness about importance of wearing the protective gear rather than straightaway booking cases.
It is estimated that at least two lakh helmets are required in Vijayawada city and only about quarter of that requirement can be met immediately, according to official sources.
Availability of ISI - marked helmets is another issue and the Transport Department was insisting that people buy those standard ones by paying a few bucks more.
All said and done, motorists appear to be in no hurry to buy the helmets as the departments had not yet started cracking the whip.
While saying that it was up to the Police Department to clarify whether the deadline has been extended, Deputy Transport Commissioner S. Venkateswara Rao told The Hindu that it would be wise for people to buy helmets whether they have more time or not as they were supposed to wear helmets under Section 120 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
“It is for their own safety that we are asking people to wear helmets. Today or tomorrow, they have to follow the rule or be penalized, why then wait for the deadline to be extended”, Mr. Rao observed.
The Police Department was also going slow on the helmet rule obviously to basically allow the scarcity of helmets to go.
A senior police officer of Vijayawada Commissionerate said that the emphasis was right now on spreading awareness as people tend to be negligent though buying helmets was not such a huge burden.
As the rule is yet to be implemented strictly, most of the two-wheelers riders are travelling without wearing the helmets while some are taking out the old ones for the time being.
“I don’t mind buying a new helmet but scarcity is the problem right now. It is certainly good to wear helmets. However, change cannot be seen overnight as it is people’s mindset that has to change”, V. Chaitanya, a pharmacy student, observed.
