CHENNAI: Helmetophobia (noun) – A chronic condition where the affected person has a physiological aversion to helmets, straps and headgear, putting said person in mortal perilTraffic cops have been saying it for years. Bike manufacturers ensure they say it somewh-ere in a disclaimer. Why, yo-ur parents have probably made disapproving noises and nagged you about it every time you started your bike without it. You’ve probably known it for longer than you knew how to balance a bike – not wearing a helmet on Chennai’s roads can be hell. What you didn’t probably know is how bad it’s actually gotten, exactly five years after the State finally decreed that you’re a law breaker if you ride without protection. According to data available with the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP), of the 704 bike riders who died in road accidents in 2011, 96 per cent of them were not wearing helmets.While it may be argued that it is imprudent to say that all of them might have made it in a ‘what-if-they-had-been-wearing-a-helmet’ situation, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sanjay Arora disagrees vehemently. “We really can’t put a number on how many of them might not have died had they been wearing the helmet, but we do know for a fact that over 70-80 per cent of them died of head injuries. That margin could have been reduced,” he concedes.Taking into account the fact that of the 9,702 accidents recorded last year, 1,504 were fatalities and of these, those who died riding a bike constitute 46.8 per cent, it can be concluded that about two persons died on Chennai roads everyday last year and only one person per 20 killed had a helmet.With a staggering 26 lakh two-wheelers on the city’s roads today, the CCTP have been busy. Ever since helmet wearing was made compulsory by the State government in February 2007, the cops have been registering more cases by the year. From 2,03,587 helmet violations recorded in 2007, the number has risen to 2,74,000 in 2011. “We are tightening up the enforcement on helmet wearing and the number of spot fines has gone up, but there is still much to be done,” says Arora.By his own admission, though there has been a rise in the number of people buying helmets, consistent usage is the issue. The key to bringing more people to take helmet wearing seriously, is not through enforcement, opines Ravi Damodaran of Citizen for Safe Roads, but awareness or experience. “Once people see something that jerks them awake to the danger of not wearing a helmet, then they wake up,” he says.He recounts an incident from 2003, where a student from a city college was killed while speeding on his bike. “The principal, who was a priest, came out and was so upset that he lambasted the cops for not making helmets compulsory. Later, when we suggested that he make it a rule that all students who bring bikes have to wear a helmet or they wouldn’t be allowed in, he agreed and enforced it.”Today, this is a standard that most colleges demand, though few are enforcing it.Even as the road safety month grinds to a close, dthe Neurology department of the Madras Medical College is determined to make a difference. They are looking to begin a ‘Wear Helmet’ campaign soon. “When it is accepted across the world that helmets can save you from 35 per cent of head injuries and by not wearing one, your death risk is up by 45 per cent, no one needs to say much more,” says a senior professor. He’s right. It’s easier, cheaper (and safer) to just use protection. Even if it’s just for a quick ride.
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