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After several flipflops, the Chennai City traffic police will from May 28 strictly implement the rule making it mandatory for motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Alarmed at the sharp increase in the number of fatal accidents on the city’s roads, the cops have decided to enforce the helmet rule stringently.

According to the state police, there were 5,522 road accidents in Tamil Nadu in January 2011, a 12 per cent increase over the figure for December 2010.

Most of the victims were riders of two-wheelers. In Chennai, there were 621 road accidents in 2010. These included 255 mishaps involving riders of two-wheelers, of whom 246 of them were not wearing helmets.

Till April 30 this year, Chennai recorded 231 fatal accidents. Among them, 108 were riders of twowheelers and as many as 102 of these victims died due to head injuries.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Sanjay Arora told that nearly 94 per cent of accident victims are motorbike riders not wearing helmets and are in the age group of 20 to 30.

“The strict enforcement is meant to reduce road accident fatalities as they have been on the rise,” he said.

“The mandatory helmet rule will be implemented in two stages. In the first phase all two-wheeler riders should compulsorily wear helmets.

It will be extended to pillion riders in the second phase.”

Mr Arora said the police has been conducting awareness campaigns and rallies stressing on the importance of wearing helmets and asking riders not to throw caution to the winds and put their lives in jeopardy.

“While enforcing the rule, we have been advised to make people aware of the importance of wearing helmets first. Similarly instructions have been passed to police personnel to be polite with road users. In case of any complaints, members of the public can contact 9566100000 or 9003130103,” he said.

Policemen will be stationed at road junctions and signals to ask people to wear helmets. The cops have also erected billboards at major junctions, asking people to wear the protective headgear.

- - - DC Chennai