Chennai: A week after the Rajya Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (amendment) Bill, Chennai city police requested motorists to follow the traffic rules with self-discipline and join hands with the police department to ensure the safety of future generation.
The bill contains provisions that will make Indian roads safer. The bill was passed earlier in the Lok Sabha.
The bill proposes huge increase in various penalties for traffic violations, protection to Good Samaritans, recall of defective vehicle parts by auto companies, holding builders accountable for the poor quality of infrastructure and making vehicle owners criminally liable for violations committed by juvenile drivers.
City traffic police said in a press release that in road accidents reported nowadays, the victims are mostly youngsters. And 90 per cent of youngsters not wearing helmets lose their lives due to head injuries caused during the accidents. Most of the motorists have the wrongly conceived notion that they need not wear helmets while dropping their children at school and while visiting nearby markets. Two-wheeler riders should compulsorily wear helmets no matter where they go and how far they go in their two-wheelers.
Similarly, pillion riders also should compulsorily wear helmets while travelling on two-wheelers. Children wearing helmets also ensures their safety. Even a short distance of just 10 feet is enough for an accident to take place.
This is the reason for it being called an accident. Regardless of the number of awareness programmes and variety of awareness programmes being created among people, road traffic accidents can be prevented only if each and every motorist realizes their responsibility and follows traffic rules with self-discipline, the release said, adding that the fine for riding without a helmet is raised from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 and the same will be implemented soon.
