[rk206]

Do you remember the Ad on Doordarshan which showed a watermelon being hammered without a Helmet and then showing how the watermelon stayed intact with the Helmet. I think there was also another version in which they showed the watermelon dropping.

I would have thought that considering that far reach of DD, it should have worked. But it didn't !!

I am not in a habit of sending/endorsing forwards. However, I received this pdf today and would definitely like to share this with the Team-BHP community. Attaching the single page views as images and also the pdf in case you'd like to share with others.

Ride Safe !




















































Mods : I couldn't find an appropriate enough thread. Please do move the post to a relevant thread, if existing.

For Pdf Download : HELMET.pdf

[_raVan_]

Excellent presentation. Additional slides for buying good helmets (with ISI or DOT certification) should have been added. Moreover, wont wearing heavy helmets over a long distance or long period of time cause neck pain?

[Gansan]

Saw a traffic police signboard about helmet usage during a recent visit to Tuticorin:

"If you value your software,
Don't forget to wear your hardware!"

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Moreover, wont wearing heavy helmets over a long distance or long period of time cause neck pain?

It may, but by the end of the journey I would rather have some pain than nothing above my shoulders. The probability of meeting an accidents should be more than meeting one on a shorter run.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Moreover, wont wearing heavy helmets over a long distance or long period of time cause neck pain?

The helmet I use on long rides is significantly heavier than the one I use daily in the city. Initially it feels a lot heavier on the neck, but I've never experienced any actual pain because of it over a long ride, or even several days of long riding. I guess the neck muscles adapt.

I'm sure there are some better quality helmets available that are both tough and light.

[giri1.8]

People are ready to spend thousands of rupees for get a smart phone,but spending anything more than thousand rupees for a helmet is considered as waste of money

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

People are ready to spend thousands of rupees for get a smart phone,but spending anything more than thousand rupees for a helmet is considered as waste of money

The showing off aspect is more important than the health and well being which is taken for granted.

[Jignesh]

Hello RK206,

Thank you for a eye opener. The presentation is indeed very nice.

Hello All,

This also throws open the debate on many points:

1. People in India generally wear Helmets out of compulsion (Rules imposed by Traffic Police). The moment you move out of big city / town, you see people on two wheelers without Helmets. Even in cities, people avoid wearing helmets during short travel in bylanes (where they are no traffic police) & at night (once again when there are no traffic police). Little do they realize that are most prone to accident in small bylanes & after dark.

2. Even if People wear Helmets, almost 90% of times the strap is not locked. Which means that in case of accident, there is very high change that Helmet may fly away arresting the very purpose for which is it used.

3. There are still many misconceptions as regards Helmets. One of the topmost being - Helmets causes hair loss. I don't know about other's experience, but in my case, I am wearing Helmets since last 7 years & all my Hairs are still intact. Though, given a hot & humid climate in our country, there is absolute lack of awareness on cleaning the Helmets. Actually is this lack of cleanliness that causes scalp injections & perhaps hair loss.

4. Helmets for co-passengers are virtually non-existent in most of the places in India. People somehow do not realize that co-passenger is equally at risk of injury incase of accident & need to wear Helmet while travelling on two wheelers.

5. Last point but most important point - Lack of Driving discipline. This is applicable to almost everyone on the streets in India, but I feel as two wheelers riders are most prone to accident & injury, they should be most careful.

Thanks,

[supremeBaleno]

Good presentation. But email forwards, presentations etc motivate only a few to change. For the majority to change, only enforcement will do. And I have real data to back this up.

Some 10 years ago, my wife started riding her Scooty to commute to work at Kerala. I promptly got her a helmet (and a helmet lock to take care of the "handling" problem mentioned in the slides). Since she has always seen me wearing one and because I insisted, she made wearing a helmet a habit, inspite of the mocking comments by friends / relatives / colleagues. For years, if there was a woman riding with a helmet in town, it was easy to know that it would be her, since no one else bothered to wear, especially women (it was not being enforced anyway). Today she can't ride without a helmet.

A few years later, the Kerala Govt made some noise about enforcing this and you had some people opting for helmets. My cousin's wife had started riding and whenever I met her, would suggest using a helmet, but she would laugh it off (she is a teacher and well-educated, so it is not that she does not know why we should use headgear).

Few months ago, an Activa passes me by and the helmeted lady riding it smiles to me from inside the visor. Takes me some time to make out that it is my cousin's wife and then I am glad that she finally had the good sense to wear helmet. Ofcourse it took me sometime to know the reason behind this sudden change in her - the traffic cops in town had started enforcing this rule seriously with a Rs100 fine. So for the money you pay for a few such violations, people reckoned they could instead buy a helmet and use it. So, the motivation might be coming from enforcement (not due to interest in one's safety), but still it is a good step forward.

[CARDEEP]

Recently one of my distant relatives got facial injuries in a road accident while he was riding his bike. He had put on the helmet, but not fastened the strap, due to which the helmet flew off his head upon impact & mysteriously he sustained facial injuries only, whereby his lips are cut & his facial skin got ripped off.

Stupid heroism in his part has costed the family few (thousand) quids & peace of mind .

[Motormania]

Leave alone the aam junta, one would be flabbergasted at the reactions/replies from educated people. The likes of MBA students in my college itself are amazed that i wear a proper full face helmet. I shudder to even imagine that these are prospective managers

The ISI standard is a lousy joke. The standard has to be first improved before anything can be implemented. Last resort, making helmet mandatory across the country with a violation fine of at least a 1000 rupees.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

[soonya]

Thanks rk206 for bringing this issue to the fore.

I rode bikes for about 15 years in the 80's and never rode it without a helmet, even for small chores and short run-abouts.

I remember many folks scoffing at my behavior. But my answer was always- 'it's my head and I value it'.

And helmets, I am told need to be changed every 3 years as the fibre-glass ages and becomes brittle and loses its original strength.

When I took up a senior responsibility in an IT firm I ensured that the corporate services/admin folk did not allow any two-wheeler rider without helmet into the campus and our buildings. I also ensured that any one not wearing a seat belt in a car would not be allowed in. Since parking outside was a challenge many people grumbled but complied. Of course we did a lot of campaigning including inviting a famous Neuro-Surgeon from a local tertiary care hospital who shared the benefits of helmet wearing.

We also got a young doctor who went through a harrowing time after he met with an accident to share his travails, the trauma his family had to go through and the eventual financial costs involved, not to mention the untold suffering he went through.

We even made many screen savers with funny one liners.

I believe that fines alone will not do, I suggested to the local traffic commissioner to offer some helmets at a price for those not carrying a helmet along with fine so that the penalty is felt to be steep.

I also impressed on her that what most urban people value is their time and instead of a 100 Rupee fine (which is small change for many people), I suggested that the cops make the 'offenders' watch a film on safety for about half hour (knowing the quality of films that they can make or offer which will be a torture for any sane person ) and it seemed to have worked and the compliance dramatically improved.

But alas, every new commissioner has to do something different - and when she was transferred the intensity of the campaign was lost.

But a redeeming feature that I find today is that even without enforcement at least the percentage of people wearing helmets has increased.

And when it was time to buy a bike for my son, I dinned into him a metaphor - going on a bike without a helmet is like going out with your shirt tucked in and your fly kept open!

Seemed to have worked.

I even bought a light weight open faced helmet for a pillion. Alas, he seemed to have lost the second helmet - time to buy another!

[Gansan]

^^Fines alone will not work.

Let the life insurers include riding without helmets in the clause of "indulging in dangerous activities" and deny insurance to a few victims. THAT will work like a charm!

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Some 10 years ago, my wife started riding her Scooty to commute to work at Kerala. Since she has always seen me wearing one and because I insisted, she made wearing a helmet a habit, inspite of the mocking comments by friends / relatives / colleagues

Hello SupremeBaleno,

I genuinely appreciate the action. I believe people like your wife can be of great help to throw any misconceptions of Hair Loss that people link with Helmets.

This is so prevalent that even the owner of the Hair Cutting Saloon that I visit literally swears that Helmets do cause hair loss. His words are taken as command by teenagers who aviod wearing helments at any cost.

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

He had put on the helmet, but not fastened the strap, due to which the helmet flew off his head upon impact & mysteriously he sustained facial injuries only, whereby his lips are cut & his facial skin got ripped off.

Hello Cardeep,

Though the accident was bad, I feel your relative was really lucky to have escaped with minor injuries.

This is exactly what I have mentioned above - Of all the people who wear helmets, 90% of them so not fasten the strap. Which makes Helmets almost useless in case of accident.

Originally Posted by Motormania

I shudder to even imagine that these are prospective managers. The ISI standard is a lousy joke.

Hello Motormania,

The one thing most unfortunate thing to have happened to our country is this - Our Casual Attitude. What you have said is not only true for prospective mangers but for most of the people here in India. Our casual attitude is what makes us followers & not leaders.

Originally Posted by soonya

When I took up a senior responsibility in an IT firm I ensured that the corporate services/admin folk did not allow any two-wheeler rider without helmet into the campus and our buildings.

Hello Sir,

Yes. I was based in Hderabad for couple of months in 2010 & in my company to two wheelers were not allow to enter the premises without helmets. Corporate initiatives like this do help in bringing the awareness.

Originally Posted by Gansan

^^Fines alone will not work.

Hello Gansan,

Yes fines alone will not work. We need to come up with others ideas like the one you have suggesed. Also making riding without a criminal offence may work. I understand that this is too harsh, but in some parts of the country driving after drinking has come donw to a large extent after it was made a criminal offence & people are jailed for violating the law.

Thanks,

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello Gansan,

Also making riding without a criminal offence may work. I understand that this is too harsh, but in some parts of the country driving after drinking has come donw to a large extent after it was made a criminal offence & people are jailed for violating the law.

Thanks,

I suppose it can't be notified as a criminal activity without legislation! Even if they try, the courts will throw it out! It can not be compared to drunken driving!

What I have suggested can be done under the existing insurance rules, I think. That, combined with hefty fines, may do the trick.

Also it will help if movie stars, sports stars and other youth icons propagate the idea that wearing a helmet is actually cool!