Hyderabad: On Hyderabad’s roads, children are often seen riding pillion without any protection, their only safeguard being a tight hold on the parent driving the two-wheeler.
The Motor Vehicles Act mandates helmets for all riders, including pillion passengers. Yet most children travel without one. In busy areas like Ameerpet, Kukatpally, Charminar, and Hitech City, schoolchildren in uniform, sometimes half asleep, are commonly spotted without helmets or safety harnesses.
More worrying is weak enforcement, even as cases of schoolchildren dying on their way to or from school rise. “We regularly conduct awareness drives and distribute helmets. But helmet use among child pillion riders has been overlooked. We will address this soon,” said a senior Cyberabad traffic police official.
A Rachakonda traffic officer added, “We rarely see adult riders wear helmets. So, expecting children to wear them does not arise.”
Many parents interviewed by Deccan Chronicle were unaware that helmets for children even exist. Some believed their child was safer seated between two adults. Farha Begum, a Falaknuma resident, said, “One of my sons is 12 and more responsible. When the younger one feels sleepy, I seat him at the back. My elder son ensures he is safe.”
This does not reduce the risk.
A 2024 survey by the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) found that three in four children ride without a helmet. Doctors warn that children are more vulnerable in road accidents.
“Every month, we treat three to four children for head injuries from two-wheeler falls. We lack a culture of using safety harnesses, and many parents think skipping the helmet is acceptable,” said Dr Chetan R. Mundada, Chief Paediatric Intensivist at KIMS Cuddles.
“Unlike adults, children cannot always sense danger. Their skulls are softer, bones weaker, and they face greater risk of physical and emotional trauma. The saddest part is that even enforcement authorities often ignore this,” he added.
Dr Mundada emphasised the need for a proper helmet: “Parents must choose the right size with an ISI mark. It may cost more, but not more than your child’s life.”
Though some brands now offer smaller helmets for children, awareness remains low. Officials told Deccan Chronicle that targeted drives in schools and residential areas are being planned.
