More than 700 cases of no helmets in Udupi district

More than 700 cases of no helmets in Udupi district

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Feb 02, 2016 : It is reported that about  715 cases were registered in the entire district against riders/pillion riders not wearing helmets. The following is the break-up: 305 cases in the Udupi police sub-division, 292 in the Kundapur sub-division and 118 in the Karkala sub-division.  The police cracked down on riders and pillion riders who were not wearing helmets in Udupi district as the rule making wearing helmets mandatory for those riding two-wheelers came into force on Feb 1, Monday.

A team of policemen stopped motorcycles and scooters whose riders or pillion riders or both were not wearing helmets at the Tiger Circle in Manipal. They were fined Rs. 100 per head. While three policemen stopped the violators, two policemen were involved in issuing receipts for the fine collected.

Those who were caught by the police at Tiger Circle came up with excuses such as they had purchased the helmets but had left them in their workplaces. One rider said that he had an accident and hence, he could not wear it. Another said that though he had purchased a helmet, since he was not in the habit of wearing it, he forgot to wear it. One student said that she did not know that wearing helmet had been made mandatory.

However, at Tiger Circle, in most cases, pillion riders were not wearing helmets; in some cases, riders were not wearing helmets, while in a very few cases both riders and pillion riders were not wearing.

The Udupi Traffic Police also stopped riders and pillion riders not wearing helmets at the busy Kalsank Junction.

In Kundapur, the Traffic Police, resorted to “Gandhigiri” and gave roses to some of the riders and pillion riders who were not wearing helmets. However, the police also implemented the law by imposing fines on violators.

According to  Udupi SP K. Annamalai,  by and large the people in the district had complied with the rule. Nearly 80 per cent of motorcyclists and scooter riders wore helmets while riding on the streets. The police had recorded the vehicle numbers of those who had violated the rule in their Blackberry phones.

“If there is a repeat offence, the records would be available on the phones. Such offenders would be fined Rs. 200 per head the second time and Rs. 300 per head the third time. If they still persisted, cases would be filed against them, and license cancelled” he said.