Reportedly every two minutes a child or teenager dies in a road accident in some part of the world, while another 38 children are injured. Meanwhile in tamilnadu, in 2018 alone, 439 children died and 3,717 children were injured in road accidents, according to the State Crime Records Bureau statistics, while helmet use can save many children’s lives and protect them from crippling injuries, any discussion on the use of helmets is readily sidestepped.

 

Accordingly Children are vulnerable road users along with senior citizens and people with disabilities, according to the WHO. Perhaps to protect children from deaths and severe injuries in road crashes, the new Motor vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 has made it compulsory for children riding pillion to wear helmets. According to the Act, only one person can ride pillion irrespective of whether he/she is a child or adult, and it is illegal for a person to travel pillion without a helmet.

 

Moreover in tamilnadu, one can hardly see a child wearing a helmet on a two-wheeler and traffic cops don’t even consider it a violation. The state achieved a 24% reduction in total accident fatalities in the year 2018 as compared to the previous year. Yet the state traffic police lacks focus when it comes to protection for children on the roads. According to a UN Helmet Study "While wearing helmets can save 42% lives and avoid 69% of injuries to riders, according to the UN Helmet Study, WHO’s Helmets, a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners, points out that when motorcycle helmet laws are enforced, helmet-wearing rates can increase to over 90%".

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