No helmet, no petrol! Says who?

MiD DAY found fuel pump attendants openly flouting the new order by Noida authority

Noida administration's new scheme 'No Helmet No Petrol' has failed to take off. The order, which came into effect in Noida with the district magistrate issuing an enforcement order to all petrol pumps, is being ignored at fuel pumps. Neither bikers nor the attendants seem to pay any heed to the order.




Stick-ing point:u00a0Bikers without helmets receiving fuel at a petrol pump
near Noida Sector 12 on Monday. Pic/Subhash Barolia

Two of our reporters, bareheaded and posing as customers, drove their bikes up to a petrol pump in Sector 12-22, and demanded fuel. They were promptly attended to, without a word on the new order, forget a warning. And, they were just two among the 40-50% two-wheeler riders who turn up at fuel stations everyday without a helmet on.

Have your fill
The only question raised by the filler boy was, "Kitne ka chahiye" (How many rupees worth of petrol do you need)? While fuel pump staffers own up to the large defaulting percentage, they showed their ignorance on the existence of any such order. "We were never asked not to deliver petrol to anyone coming without a helmet. Also we have not been asked to update our customers about any such scheme. Had there been any such order we would have certainly known," some of them said.

When various petrol pumps in the satellite town were contacted, some denied knowing about the order while others said it would be difficult to follow. On the condition of anonymity, a manager at one of the petrol pumps located near a Metro station said: "We have not received any such orders officially. Even if such an order is passed, it won't be easy for us not to serve petrol to people without helmets. The only thing we can do is advise them on the same."

"This is the work of the police and they should keep an eye on it. Why is the baton being passed on to us? Around 40-50 per cent of the two-wheeler customers who come to us do not wear helmets. If we stop giving them petrol our revenue will drop drastically. Also, what if tomorrow a customers acts violent for not giving him fuel? This would just create a bad name in the market," said an executive of a petrol pump, aware of the order passed by the DM.

Novel idea
Recently, a meeting was held between the district administration, various college managements and petrol pumps owners to decide the scheme of 'no helmet, no petrol'. As per the order, no petrol is supposed to be given to two-wheeler drivers who don't wear a helmet. To publicise the drive, a copy of the order was also supposed to be pasted on notice boards of various institutes and colleges across the district.
District magistrate Deepak Agarwal said, "Helmet problems are one of the most common issues in the area. A number of fatal accidents can be avoided if bikers use helmets. Everyone should come forward to support this cause. Keeping this in mind, we launched the drive 'no helmet no petrol' in the city. However if this order is defied, proper action will be taken against petrol pumps. Administration also plans to conduct seminars in colleges to make the youth more aware about the traffic rules."

No cakewalk
It is evident that a large number of fatalities in the district are a result of people driving without helmets. A study by Noida Police recently had revealed that every 36 hours a person dies and three sustain injuries on city roads.

The survey also showed that out of 50 road accident deaths, 11 were in open areas, another nine occurred near schools, colleges, villages and residential areas. The survey also identified the accident prone areas, including sector 62 petrol pump, Morana turn near sector 35, 12-22 crossing, sector 56 T-point, NTPC crossing, Labour Chowk, Expressway-Morana crossing, sector 82, Salaarpur and DND flyover.

Laying down the law
According to the Delhi police, in 2010, around 700 people died in Delhi two-wheeler related accidents. Most of them were not wearing helmets. The Delhi government had on January 12, decided to enforce the helmet law more stringently for bikers and pillion riders, irrespective of their gender. Delhi is the only city in the country that has exempted women driving two-wheelers or riding as pillion from wearing helmets since 1999.u00a0 According to the traffic police, the exemption was allowed following the protests by the Sikh community in the Capital.

Jhon stays safe
The biker boy of Bollywood John Abraham is so passionate about helmets that he wears a different one each day. Regarding this hobby, John once said: "Bikes are my passion and I take care of my helmets as my babies. Like people go and buy clothes, I go shopping for helmets. I have different helmets for different days."

Celebu00a0watch
In January, 2011, actress Gul Panag and other crew members faced flak for riding bikes without wearing helmets while promoting a film in the Capital. Stars of the film 'Turning 30' including actress Gul Panag and actor Purab Kohli were riding their Royal Enfield bikes at Delhi University as part of a promotional event. Although no action was taken against Panag as women are exempted from wearing helmets in the Capital, Delhi police targeted the other bikers.

Crash course
Helmets decrease the severity of injury, the likelihood of death, and the overall cost of medical care. They're designed to cushion and protect riders' heads from the impact of a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the USA estimates that helmets reduce the risk of death in a motorcycle crash by 29 per cent, and the risk of fatal head injury by 40 per cent. Helmets are even more effective in preventing brain injuries, which often require extensive treatment and may result in lifelong disability. Studies show unhelmeted motorcyclists are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries in a crash than helmeted riders.