Sept. 22: Youths, without helmets, criss-crossing bustling roads in sleek two-wheelers is a common sight these days.

Feels like John Abraham in Dhoom or Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his hair flying wild, doesn’t it?

Ask them and the reason for not wearing the headgear ranges from migraine to hair loss. Under Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, wearing helmets is a must. With very few adhering to the rules, the accident graph is only shooting northwards.

Even those few who care, the headgear used are not the ones meant for two-wheeler owners. Those are for industrial workers or sometimes even sports helmets donned by batsmen to duck fiery bouncers.

“Some say they are getting migraine attacks as a result of wearing helmets, while others find helmets a pure burden. There’s total disregard for safety norms among the youths,” a constable said. The other day he intercepted a youth during a routine check at a traffic intersection. “I gave him a piece of my mind and told him that a fractured head can’t be replaced,” he said.

Asked why he was riding without a helmet, Ranjan Buragohain, student of Gauhati Commerce College, asked: “Why should I when the traffic in Guwahati moves at snail’s pace?”

The law enforcers are of the opinion that imposition of fine won’t solve the problem. Checking drives fail to reduce accident rates, as there is lack of awareness among the youths about the utility of helmets. In the first quarter of this year, nine persons died while 19 others sustained serious injuries in 28 accidents involving two-wheelers in the city.

“Head injuries account for 90 per cent of the deaths reported and two-wheeler riders and pedestrians are the most vulnerable. A helmet can make a difference between life and death,” superintendent of police (traffic) R.K. Barua said. “Even as there is no such specifications for helmets prescribed in the law, it’s advisable to wear ISI-marked helmets only. Mere enforcing rules by collecting fines isn’t enough if the awareness level among the people remains low.”

Barua said whenever police find drivers of two-wheelers wearing cricket helmets, they were warned and even fined. “Still a sizeable section prefers to wear such helmets which aren’t safe while riding a motorbike or a scooter.”

Doctors, too, have voiced concern over the sharp rise in deaths resulting from head injuries. According to them, many accidents could have been averted if the driver had the correct headgear on.

According to A. Sarma, a physician with the GNRC Hospital, most of the deaths result from head injuries and most of the victims are two-wheeler riders. He said on an average, 90 to 100 patients with head injuries are admitted to the hospital every month. GNRC Hospital is one of the city’s leading critical care institutes.