In its bid to make mandatory for woman pillion riders to wear helmets in the national Capital, the Transport Department has issued notification inviting objections and suggestions from public within 30 days.
After assessment of public objections and suggestions, the Transport Department will issue final notification for making mandatory for women to wear helmets in the Capital. The proposal had already been approved by Delhi’s lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung. Delhi’s Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has recently given a go-ahead to the Transport Department to issue notification regarding inviting objections and suggestions for making wearing of helmets mandatory for women two-wheeler riders within the city.
When asked, Transport Department officials said that it will take more than one month to implement it. “The department has issued notification regarding inviting objection and suggestions on the wearing of helmet by women. After that, the department will assess all suggestion and objections and if needed, it will issue final notification,’ he said.
According to the order, the sub-rule (2) of rule 115 (that exempts women from wearing helmets) in the Delhi motor vehicles rules, 1993 shall be deleted. The new rules may be called Delhi motor vehicles (amendment) rules, 2014, the notification said.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) report, India has the highest number of road deaths in a year in the world — 105,725 deaths, followed by China (96,611), the US (42,642) and Russia (35,972). According to the Delhi’s Transport Department, a total 576 two-wheeler riders lost their lives in 2012. This means two persons who die every day in road accidents are two wheeler riders. In India, during the year 2012, a total number of 35,767 two-wheeler riders, many of them women, were killed in road accidents.