Over half Indian two-wheeler riders (57%) admit to not wearing a helmet when on the road, while an even higher proportion of pillion riders (74%) neglect to wear one whilst riding pillion. These are amongst the findings of a survey1 published by Exide Life Insurance as a part of its CSR initiative, revealing the startling – and dangerous – practices of the country’s two-wheeler riding community.
According to the survey, riders are basing their decision to ride helmetless for a variety of reasons; 13% due to the cost of a helmet, 16% believe that they are not required to by the law, 22% simply ride bare-headed due to a force of habit. Staggeringly, nearly a third (29%) admit to riding without a helmet for reasons of ‘comfort’!
The findings in the survey by Exide Life Insurance, point towards what can be called as a type of ‘false logic’ that was being applied by two-wheeler riders to the issue of road safety; one which could lead to potentially fatal consequences.
The issue of pillion rider’s safety is particularly alarming as revealed through the survey. 23% of respondents believe that the pillion rider actually faces less risk than the rider of the two wheeler. Nearly a quarter (23%) of riders would allow a pillion rider without a helmet, and an equal proportion of pillion riders (24%) admit that they would accept such a lift, helmetless, if they were offered.
The survey was conducted as part of Helmet Saves, A CSR Initiative by Exide Life Insurance to highlight the issues of road safety across India. Two -wheelers remain one of the most unsafe modes of transport; wearing an appropriate helmet improves riders’ chances of surviving an accident by 42% and helps avoid up to 69% of injuries to riders2.
According to public data, over the last decade, the incidence of accidental deaths has witnessed an upward trend with an increase of 44.2% for the year 2011 as compared to 2001. This figure translates to one death on Indian roads every five minutes and is expected to escalate to one death every three minutes by 2020.[4] Helmets are more the norm than the exception on Indian roads. 1 out of every 4 bike riders would allow children to ride with them as pillion riders without a helmet. 3 This gives us an insight into the psyche of Indian riders who predominantly consider wearing helmets as an act of compliance rather than personal safety. The failure to reduce the number of road accidents clearly shows that efforts to improve road safety have failed and needs to be revised immediately.
“It is a known fact that helmets work for two-wheelers riders. Even though they don’t make you invincible, helmets decrease the severity of the injury. Yet, surprisingly, more than 70 % of Indians admit to have ridden a bike as a rider without wearing a helmet.4 Unfortunately while parents realise that it should be mandatory for children to have the necessary safety gear in place while riding on two-wheelers, implementation of it, is not rigorously practised on a day to day basis. As the survey brings out, staggeringly, nearly a quarter (24%) of parents would allow their children to ride a two-wheeler helmetless, and a half see such child pillions riding unprotected at least once a day.” says Mohit Goel, Director - Marketing and Direct Channel, Exide Life Insurance.
He further states, “As a part of our Corporate Social Responsibility, we recently launched “Helmet Saves”, a comprehensive awareness program that underlines the necessity of wearing a helmet while riding a two wheeler. Launched using a combination of film, digital and on ground activation, the compelling narrative used in the program has received overwhelming response. It has become one of the top pieces of content being shared on social media with viewers asking their friends and family to ‘Always wear a helmet’ while they ride their two-wheelers. Through Helmet Saves we will continue to create awareness on the importance of wearing helmets to ensure reduction in the number of road traffic fatalities in the coming years.
For More Information Contact :
Mr Vasanth Kumar / E-Mail : vasanthkumar.j@adfactorspr.com
