Cases of the road mishaps are on the rise due to sale of sub-standard helmets. Concerned over rising cases of causalities during road mishaps, the Traffic Police have decided to launch a drive to nail the vendors selling sub-standard helmets. The vendors found selling helmets without having ISI mark on it will be taken to task.
Officials of the department said that the use of substandard helmets by the motorcyclists is unsafe and several causalities have taken place in recent past.
On Sunday, a 40-year-old man received serious head injuries as pieces of broken helmet pierced into his head in a road mishap on Marine Drive under Sonari police station area this morning.
The victim, Ram Chandra Gorai, is struggling for his life at Tata Main Hospital where he was shifted from the MGM Medical College and Hospital for better treatment.
According to sources, the mishap took place at about 7.25 am when the bike Gorai was riding was hit by a dumper near Kali Mandir on the Marine Drive.
Sources said as a result of the fall, the helmet the victim had put on broke up and a piece of the broken helmet pierced into his head, causing him to get unconscious. The driver of the dumper, however, managed to escape the scene of mishap by speeding up the heavy vehicle.
Officer-in-charge, Sonari police station, Suman Anand confirmed about the mishap. “The victim who is a businessman and resident of Mango was going to Seraikela by riding through the Marine Drive at about 7.30 am when the mishap took place. A dumper which was coming from the wrong direction speedily had hit the biker while crossing toward Kadma,” said Suman.
A police official said that they have information that there are two-wheeler riders who use helmets which are made of either card-boards or sub standard materials.
“During our investigation we have found that the two-wheeler riders are using the sub-standard helmets not to save their lives in case of a road mishap, but only to protect them from the helmet-checking drive which has become a regular exercise by the traffic police,” said the officer.
Most of the youths also said they were using helmets not for their safety but to avoid ticketing against traffic rules violation. “The youths use helmets just to safe themselves from the wrath of the police. Moreover these helmets are manufactured in Delhi and cost approximately between `60 and `300. Helmets that resemble headgear worn by cricketers are a favourite,” said a local dealer of Sakchi.