The Gujarat High Court has suggested that the state government adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards those who don’t wear helmets while riding two wheelers. Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal conveyed this message to Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, emphasising that the manda- tory helmet rule under the Motor Vehicles Act is a central law that the state must enforce.
The High Court proposed that traffic police should detain those caught riding without helmets for a short period. This, the court remarked, would make them late for work and subject to reprimand, thereby driving home the importance of wearing a helmet.
The Chief Justice made this observation in response to the Advocate General’s earlier submission that people readily pay fines for violations and continue riding without helmets. The court also recommended using technology to better enforce the rule.
“A line of two wheelers, hardly any helmets”
A bench of Chief Justice Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi was hearing a petition chal- lenging the construction of a flyover at Panjra Pol, along with issues related to damaged roads and traffic congestion in the city.
The Chief Justice shared her own observations, stating that people flout the rule casually.
“Today, while I was coming to the High Court, I took a few pictures from my mobile phone. I can show you. There was a line of two-wheelers on one side of my car, three or four wearing helmets, others were not wearing. Policemen were there on both sides for VIP duty, nobody bothered. I was in the car. I looked with my own eyes.”
Make Ahmedabad a pilot project
The High Court inquired about strategies used in Delhi and Dehradun to ensure compliance with traffic rules, suggesting that Ahmedabad could become a pilot project for strict enforcement.
Advocate General Kamal Trivedi informed the court that 2,000 cases had been filed against violators and driving licences of 106 individuals had been sent to the RTO for three- month suspension.
He highlighted the use of a mobile application that alerts traffic police about repeat offenders, enabling immediate action and license suspension through the RTO.
During the discussion, the Chief Justice stressed the need for a strong deterrent, stating, “Nobody was catching anybody. If you start catching everyone, there would be no two-wheeler on the street So, we also don’t want a thousand people sent to jail. We also want that deterrence. A zero-tolerance policy should come in.”
She added, “Even in a city like Dehradun, people are wearing helmets because they are scared that they will be caught ….Kon baval me pade, pahenhi lete hai’ (Who would want to get into trouble, they’ll just wear it). That kind of deterrence should come in. What is the solution for the technology part? Because we want to make Ahmedabad a pilot project, then it has to percolate to other cities.” The Advocate General indicated the state’s willingness to implement strict measures. The court also briefly addressed the issues of roads and flyovers before scheduling a further hearing for the following Friday.