In an effort to promote helmet usage and increase road safety awareness, the Pune district will be celebrating 'Symbolic Helmet Day' on May 24. The initiative encourages government officers and employees, who already regularly wear helmets, to participate by wearing helmets on this day also to raise general public awareness about the importance of helmet use.
The campaign, led by Pune District Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh, aims to address the alarming statistics surrounding road accidents in India, where approximately 411 individuals lose their lives every day. Shockingly, about 80 per cent of these fatalities are two-wheeler riders, pedestrians, and cyclists. Wearing a helmet can increase the chances of surviving a two-wheeler accident by up to 80 per cent.
According to the Motor Vehicle Act, every person above the age of 4 is required to wear a helmet while traveling on a motorcycle. Failure to wear helmets while using two-wheelers can result in penalties as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The initiative aligns with the ongoing 7th UN Global Road Safety Week 2023, which focuses on sustainable transport. The week-long campaign aims to draw the attention of NGOs, government agencies, media, and citizens towards preventing road accidents and providing timely assistance to accident victims.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
