More than 50 cops including at least two inspector rank officials and around half dozen army men were among those fined on day one of ‘Helmet Week’ launched by city traffic establishment on Monday. A senior traffic official said that more than 400 bike riders without helmets were fined on day one with no special treatment to anyone including the cops and the lawyers.
“We did find a couple of mild confrontations at some places with someone begging for pardon, to other trying to influence traffic personnel with one kind of pressure to other. However, there was a strict instruction not to spare anyone, which was strictly followed,” said Traffic SP Sanjay Ranjan Singh.
He said that the entire traffic police department including all senior officials was on the road on Monday to make the drive successful and take traffic rules seriously.
“We imposed fines on at least two inspector rank officials of violating traffic rules with not wearing a helmet. They requested not to
reveal their names. We also caught over a dozen lawyers riding without helmet and our men didn’t allow them to go without imposing fine,” Said Singh.
As par figures available with traffic police department, there were 5,711 accidents in the city in 2012, in which 2,818 persons lost their lives. A total of 1,785 persons were left seriously injured in those accidents. There were 2,61,638 registered two-wheelers running on city roads by the end of March 2015.
Singh said that the Helmet Week was there to make people abide by traffic rules and to save lives of those and others on the road.
“We are not terrorizing anyone, but trying to educate them who have been playing with their lives since long. We are also urging parents not to allow minors to ride any bike with gear, and not at all without helmets. The drive will follow after this week as well,” said Singh.