Driving along the busy route near the
Panjim turnabout on her two-wheeler, Sybil Fernandes was stopped by the traffic
police for violating the helmet rule. Admitting to her mistake and paying up
her fine, Sybil is however peeved about another issue – one that several
citizens have raised over time. “While I was paying my fine, two cops who rode
past us without their helmets were not stopped. It is only after we drew the
cop’s attention to this fact that they claimed they had noted their number.
Another un-helmeted cop stopped his bike at a nearby bookshop. Numerous other
un-helmeted two wheeler riders passed us by but were not stopped. My question
is, if the rules apply to everyone, then why not the Goa police?” she queries.
This is a pertinent question that has found
resonance among citizens, especially in view of the recent video clipping that
went viral, of a cop riding without a helmet in North Goa. “Since they are the
law, nobody is taking them to task. Many of them get away with it. In fact,
quite a few also flaunt safety rules by travelling triple on a bike,” notes
Calangute resident and renowned artist Yolanda Souza Kammermeier. But as a
pro-helmet person, she believes that each one must take responsibility for
their safety. An astute insight that very few have been able to understand or
take seriously.
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How many law makers are really enforcing
the law? “I have often noticed people speeding by even when a cop tries to stop
them or see them hiding behind large vehicles so as to go unnoticed. If people
were to truly understand the rationale of the helmet, then they would wear it
willingly without anyone having to enforce it. Having said this, several cops
themselves are flouting the law. It is our duty to follow traffic rules
regardless of our job titles and the organisation we belong to. Rules are for
all and the police should be the first to follow it and set an example for the
public,” maintains Margao-based teacher Parul Shirwaikar.
“They are doing their job, but partiality
invariably creeps in,” states Victor Fonseca. “On my regular run to work in
Mapusa, we have a cop who is familiar with all of us, so he lets us pass if we
forget to wear a helmet at times. It so happens that, at times, his boss is
around, so he is pressurised to act. And if a new cop is posted then we are
even more vigilant,” he confesses.
Perhaps the thumb rule would be to wear
helmets for one’s safety rather than wait for the law-makers to enforce it!
