K'pong cops wrap up Road Safety Week

SNS, KALIMPONG, 17 JANUARY 2018: As the district traffic police wrapped up the Road Safety Week that it started a week ago hem today, the police distributed helmets to motorcycle riders and pillion riders riding without one.

Police officials said that despite them educating the masses on the importance of wearing helmets, they still take their safety for granted.

During the past week, police had recorded safety messages and played them through loud speakers around the town. However, sadly even as the loudspeakers played the messages like "Please do not speak on the phone while crossing the road" repeatedly, people were seen not giving two hoots to the pleas. They jay walked and they typed messages and talked on their phones as they walked.

" Here, people wear helmets just to show it to the police, so that they are not booked for the offence. Some carry the head gear on the motorcycles and hands, while they wear them only before reaching police check points," said a man here today.

As the concluding programme went on today, a scooter had a pillion without a helmet, while the cops stopped them and gifted a helmet and a khada (traditional scarf), and one policeman requested with folded hands: "Please wear it for your safety; it is your head and not the police's."

"We do not have the rule of both the riders wearing helmets in our place, We had no idea that it was a must for the pillion rider too," said the rider.

One traffic policeman said that it is often the pillion rider who dies if the motorcycle meets with an accident ."It is very important for both the riders to wear helmets," he said,

The police said they will impose a fine of Rs 1,100 on motorcycle riders who flout the helmet rule from tomorrow. Additional Superintendent of Police Amlan Ghosh later said that the aim of the Road Safety Week was to spread awareness on traffic rules and their safety among people who drive vehicles.