BHUBANESWAR: The state transport department on Tuesday wrote to district collectors, superintendents of police (SPs) and regional transport officers (RTOs) to launch a month-long enforcement drive against people riding bikes without wearing helmets from April 1. The crackdown will also be made against pillion riders, who are caught without helmets.
“Police and RTOs will conduct the enforcement drive. If required, adequate force from the police reserve in districts can be mobilised. Weekly reports on the enforcement activities should be sent to the state transport commissioner,” wrote state transport secretary Madhu Sudan Padhi to the collectors and SPs.
Recently, special drives were launched against helmet-less pillion riders. Though the helmet rule for bikers as well as the pillion riders already existed in the amended Motor Vehicles Act 2019, its implementation had been lacking.
Earlier, the government had said the driving licence (DL) of bike riders will be suspended if their pillion riders are caught without helmets. Until recently, the DLs of bike riders alone used to be suspended for not wearing helmets. Under the amended MV Act, an offender will pay Rs 1,000 fine for not wearing a helmet. Besides, the offender’s DL will be suspended for three months.
According to the state transport department, of the total 11,064 road accidents in Odisha in 2019, two-wheelers were involved in 4,688 mishaps. While a total 5,333 accident deaths were reported in 2019, at least 2,398 of them were on two-wheelers. Of the 2,398 deceased, altogether 2,156 persons (both riders and pillion riders) had not worn helmets.