Traffic policemen during the drive against helmetless two-wheeler drivers on Friday. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Oct. 31: Alarmed by the high incidence of serious road accidents in the city, the traffic police department has launched a drive against two-wheeler riders without helmets.

Two-wheeler owners who use vacuum horns, identified as the major cause of noise pollution, are being fined, too.

Additional superintendent of police (traffic) Arabinda Kalita said the primary objective of the campaign was to drive home the message that not wearing a helmet is not only a violation of traffic rules but also hazardous.

The police are planning to crack the whip even on riders wearing cricket helmets, which is not part of the standard safety accessories.

Kalita said hawk-eyed police personnel on duty in the thoroughfares of the city had collected over Rs 3 lakh in fines within a few days. But instead of being enthused by it, the traffic police are worried.

“The amount of fines gives us an idea of the number of people who violate traffic rules,” the SP said.

Pickets have been set up under each police station in the city and at least 400 cases of two-wheeler riders violating traffic rules are being registered on an average everyday. “The rate of penalty varies from one rule violation to another. On an average, fines over Rs 40,000 are being collected each day,” Kalita said.

The fine for not wearing a helmet is Rs 100, while anybody who uses a vacuum horn is liable to be fined between Rs 250 and Rs 500.

Wearing a helmet is mandatory for not only the rider, but also the person on the pillion. The police reserve the right to take violators to court if he/she fails to pay the fine on the spot.

On how long the drive would continue, the additional superintendent of police said it would be “relaxed” if the incidence of violations came down.

“We will restrict the campaign to random checks across the city if the situation improves. A similar drive had been launched earlier, but once it ended, two-wheeler riders were back to their old ways and the number of accidental deaths shot up again.”

Those wearing non-standard helmets, including the ones used by cricket players, are being let off with only a reprimand for now. But the police intend to introduce a fine if the warnings do not work.

“We are asking such riders to wear safer helmets. After some time, we will start imposing fines on those who wear unsafe helmets,” Kalita said.

Police personnel who violated traffic rules were not spared the last time such a drive was under way, but cops without helmets are back on the road. The number of accident victims admitted to hospitals in the city during the Puja festivities is alarming.

Nearly 90 per cent of the accident cases registered at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital and private nursing homes during the period were of two-wheeler riders aged between 20 and 30.

Over 1,500 two-wheelers are sold in the city every month. The majority of the buyers are students and those who have newly found employment.

An employee of the district transport office said the number of two-wheelers in the city was much more than what the narrow and busy city roads could accommodate. “Our roads, frankly speaking, are not fit for two-wheelers. Two-wheeler television commercials have worsened the situation by harping on speed, which youths take seriously. They always seem to be in a hurry.”