This post is actually an article I wrote a while ago for 'THE HINDU MetroPlus Sound Off ' column, but unfortunately it was not published because I guess someone had already 'sounded off' on the topic. Frankly, I would prefer to believe this was the reason for my article not being published rather than accepting (and as a result feeling disappointed and discouraged) that it was not written well enough to be published:)
Anyway, I happened to re-read this article today and thought "Wow! This is a well written article and it has a message. Why not publish it in my blog?" After all blogs seem to be the new medium for sharing news and views and there is a whole lot of buzz around blogging. And also, if I can't become a journo to pen my views why not use the next best weapon to be heard by the people who care!!!
So here I am, with my views on a topic I think is important enough to be shared! Read on...
I have always wondered how some people consider their lives so cheap that they could dare to venture into the Chennai traffic without a helmet. It more than shocks me. In fact, I would like to ask all those two-wheeler riders who are wary of wearing helmets, “Isn’t knowingly exposing oneself to danger equivalent to suicide?”
I decided to take a rough count of the number of people who do not wear helmets and as I was traveling to office in an auto, I started counting the number of heads without a helmet. I was not surprised, as it turned out that 8 out of 10 people did not wear helmets. Having ridden a two wheeler myself for quite a while (I still ride my ‘Scooty’ occasionally), it is alarming to even think about how someone ignores wearing a helmet. If, on a rare occasion I forget to wear my helmet when I am going to some nearby place I feel like I am walking in the middle of the road ready to have my head knocked off. Why is it that some people choose not to wear a helmet? Is it ugly to wear a helmet or is it too uncomfortable given that it is just your life which is at stake. The fact that more women than men shun helmets is very alarming. This includes smart young college going girls who cover themselves up completely with scarves and cotton gloves to avoid tanning to mothers with kids in tow in their Kinetics and Hondas. It is an irony that young girls think it is important to take care of their complexion and their hair but don’t realize that not wearing a helmet may lead to not having a life at all. Men of course are no less. I have racked my brains many times to understand how even men in their 40’s and 50’s who probably have families to support and grandpas who keep to the farthest side of the road to avoid the speeding youngsters manage to be so careless about their lives.
The government and the police department do as much as they can to spread awareness about wearing helmets. The corporate organizations also have chipped in by enforcing ‘Wear helmet’ rule for their employees riding two-wheelers. All in vain! Do we all not have the common sense and love for this precious life to go on ignoring such important warnings? Please wake up and save your lives and the save the tragedy of a loss for your family.
7 comments:
I totally agree with you Savi. When I forced my brother-in-law, he refused saying 'I loose my hair when I wear helmet'!!??@##. I was speechless for he was more concerned of loosing his hair rather than loosing his life.
I think this is because of the perception that 'death means it is for others not for us' attitude. The reason I am saying this is, when my father was ill and when we were treating him, I heard his (blood) relatives saying 'Cancer? No Chance!!!, We will not have (note: it is not that we don't have family history of, they assertively said that WE WILL NOT HAVE) Cancer affecting us!!!!
I hope this post invokes atleast few people and make them to wear Helmet.
Rosy.
You are always right Savi..
Thirudhana Pathu Thirundhavittal Thirutai Ozhika Mudhiyadhu….
Most people are educated enough to do things in the right way – Wear Helmet, Follow Traffic Rules, Do Not Drink and Drive, Wear Seat Belts, Do Not Pee or Spit on the Street, Do Not throw Trash on Roads…. and the list goes on.
The question is why people don’t do the things they are supposed to do? Simple answer – People don’t care – They neither care about themselves nor about the society they live in. The scary part is, this ‘I care a damn about anything and everything’ attitude is a ‘cool thing’.
All we can do is hope things change and nobody (individual and society) pays hard for the change.
Again,
Thirudhana Pathu Thirundhavittal Thirutai Ozhika Mudhiyadhu….
once upon a time a general plea was made to then cm mr.karunanidhi... to make helmets compulsory.. but the reply was that he will conduct some survey among chennai citizens and he will act based on the outcome of the survey..
for this the famous neurosurgeon Late Mr. Ramamurthy, a vociferous fellow to rally helmet usage, commented
" before increasing taxes does the government takes survey of opinions among the working people...'
so also certain things are mandatory...
I decided to take a rough count of the number of people who do not wear helmets and as I was traveling to office in an auto.....
That I assume is equivalent to....hmm.. Not wearing a helmet!! ;)
Savitha,let me tell you something.
"I'm Not trying to justify"
1) Riders need to be comfortable to avoid any mis-haps.
2) Riders need to concentrate on all directions on Chennai Roads(unlike American or British Roads)
3) Riders should listen to the traffic, and the roaring engines to make split second decisions.
This is the fact of Chennai City driving. Ok, with facts in hand, lets see how this prevents helmet wearing.
Wearing a helmet gives you the sense of protection, than it actually does. One should agree that, in a climate like ours we tend to sweat a lot when we wear helmets. hence become uncomfortable from within. Within, i mean, from the subconscious perspective. Once a man is not comfortable form within, he cannot concentrate on anything. Thus letting hasty decisions.
next, riders in Chennai have to take split second decisions - its like playing a video game. But here you don't have a second chance or an extra life, so the rider is more scared . the more the scared the more the reflexes. that's why you can see so much of action on Chennai roads.
Well all these said, it does not justify not wearing a helmet.
But there can be a lot of factors that need be looked at.
Like?
1. re-design the helmet for Indian conditions. (so u don't sweat)
2. make helmets that allow the person to hear the noises around him.
3. and vote for the right person, and build a political network that eradicates todays filthy politics.
Bring young energetic, thinking, learned politics. So you bring the basic factors right back in place, better the roads, lesser the accidents. isn't it a simple equation ?
This is a topic that can trigger too many thoughts, and it's quite a process. So I leave it here, lets talk about it sometime later. Cya!!
Ram
This comment is in response to the previous comment from Ram. I could not help but saying it.
I totally disagree with you Ram. First of all, you have to understand that I did not write this without ever riding a bike. I have ridden both gear and gearless bikes and with a helmet and it has not prevented me from hearing properly or feeling so uncomfortable that I cannot concentrate on the road. And I have also ridden only on Chennai roads and not in US or UK.
Secondly, your reasoning about riders' reflexes work best when they are scared is totally wrong. Actually it is the other way round. Scare leads to panic and panic leads to accidents. And when the rider is scared and he manoeuvres to avoid hitting something or someone, he also scares other riders alongside and behind him.
Thirdly, comfort is not all a reason to shun safety. I am sure many of us dont feel comfortable wearing a seat belt on a plane but we all do it because that is the sensible thing to do. Similarly, many of us don't like getting held up at a red signal but it is sensible to do considering everyone's safety. So also in the case of health; We don't like eating healthy food or taking pills or having blood tests and scans, but if it means a life and death situation I am sure one will not refuse to take one's pillls and say one would be more comfortable heading to one's death bed!!!!
Savitha
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