VIJAYAWADA: In a bid to raise awareness about helmet usage and reduce road accident fatalities, Vijayawada city traffic police conducted a ‘No Helmet – No Safety’ drive on Friday.
Commuters without helmets were intercepted, informed about the risks of riding without protective gear, and educated on the importance of helmets for both riders and pillion passengers.
As part of the initiative, traffic police set up helmet enforcement teams at over 10 high-risk junctions across the city. Offenders were fined for not wearing helmets, and vehicles with pending challans were seized. The drive highlighted the alarming rise in road accident fatalities involving two-wheeler riders and pillion passengers. The initiative comes after the Andhra Pradesh High Court, led by Chief Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice Cheemalapati Ravi, expressed dissatisfaction over the police’s failure to enforce the mandatory helmet rule. The bench, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by advocate Tandava Yogesh, criticised the police for relying solely on CCTV cameras to issue challans instead of conducting regular checks. It questioned the lack of on-ground enforcement to create deterrence and reduce fatalities.
Speaking to TNIE, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) A Prasanna revealed that over 200 vehicles with five or more pending challans were seized during the drive. “We instructed ground-level officers to rigorously educate the public and enforce the Motor Vehicles Act. Helmets will be made mandatory for two-wheeler riders and pillion passengers within city limits and on national highways,” he stated.
The police aim to implement stricter measures to ensure helmet compliance and protect commuters from road mishaps, emphasizing safety as a shared responsibility.
