April 2015, when the helmet rule was imposed for all two-wheeler riders across all roadways in Goa including rural roads across Goa, it seemed like a landmark decision. A decision to save lives, it appeared, since over 1,300 lives were lost in the country in 2014. The initiative was part of Union Minister of Roadways Nitin Gadkari letter to all state governments to enforce a compulsory helmet rule to make the rider’s life safer.
Laxmikant Parsekar’s government followed suit with Director of Transport Arun Dessai at the helm to impose the rule. MLAs, local governance heads objected but the government finally put the rule into play.
“The rule was well enforced and even the cops worked quite well in tandem. Be in the RTO or the traffic police. Cops would regularly catch people without helmets and impose fines but suddenly the whole operation seems to have fizzled out,” explains Judy Pereira, a Margao resident, who lives near a college and faces the ire of college kids breaking the law and dangerously riding in the neighbourhood.
Similarly, Samir Desai, who runs a general store in Benaulim, points out how the government had another great initiative of carrying out alco-meter tests in the afternoons to nab Goans and tourist who abuse alcohol in the afternoon and rode rashly.
“Goa is a tourist destination. Goans and residents here always break the traffic rules and next are tourists who pose a risk to others but the alco meter testing and the helmet rule is just not strictly imposed and many lives are at stake. Also the cops need to work in tandem with the Legal Metrology department and clamp down on fake helmets but the cops do nothing in Goa except harass tippers and truckers on highways and extort money,” explains a disappointed Samir who faces the wrath of drunken tourist or a tourist who rides rented bikes in a rash manner across Colva, Cavelossim, Benaulim and Varca.
Similar to Samir, is Ashford, a young 26-year old musician who lost a cousin, minor of age due to head injuries while being a pillion rider on a bike. Ashford explains that it was a huge trauma to his entire family. Ashford D’Souza is happy that the government’s new initiative of not giving licences of non-geared vehicles to those below 18 years of age is an excellent move but Ashford, who lives in Nuvem, is pained by the number of tourists and youth who ride bikes on the highway without helmets.
“There needs to be CCTVs and ways to nab these offenders. Even the CCTV in Margao and other cities sends out challans like seven months later and people refuse to pay. The government needs to be stricter with those offending the helmet rule. It’s not just revenue for the state but will safe a great deal of lives,” explains Ashford.
Similarly Reuben D’Silva, who deals with performance parts and safety gear for riders across Goa, tells us that it’s very important to spend on a good quality helmet because when someone takes a hit, the cost of the life saved is priceless.
“I ride Goa Mumbai and many cities cross country all the time on by bikes as a sports journalist and recently on my Goa–Mumbai ride, 12 minutes from home, I took a bad hit in an accident because a lady just ran across the road. I came out with just a cut lip in the accident. My helmet saved me. But I find it absurd when I test bikes in Goa how nobody wears a helmet here and the cops do nothing about it,” stated a noted sports journalist Ashok George.
