Monday, 02 OCTOBER 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Transport department has issued challans to over 14,000 two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets since January this year. The challans were issued in the areas that fall under the regional transport office of the Dehradun division which include Dehradun, Rishikesh, Vikasnagar, Roorkee, Haridwar, Tehri and Uttarkashi. The number of challans has increased significantly in the division after the formation of a new enforcement team and bike squads of the department, said the regional transport officer (enforcement) Shailesh Tiwari. He said that last year from January to August, the enforcement team of RTO issued challans to a total of 4,225 two-wheeler riders out of which, 3,309 were penalised for not wearing helmets. During the same period in 2023, the RTO penalised a total of 16,129 two-wheeler operators out of which 14,016 operators were penalised for not wearing helmets. He said that the number of challans issued against two-wheeler riders increased over three times this year after the formation of new enforcement teams and bike squads that help the department to act immediately against the violators. He said that the teams observe that many two-wheeler riders also wear poor quality helmets just for the sake of avoiding penalties rather than for their own protection. This ignorance is one of the main causes of severe head injuries and sometimes death in case of road accidents in the State. All riders should use ISI-marked helmets as per the Motor Vehicles Act to ensure their heads are protected in case they get into a road accident, added Tiwari. Besides this, the department also started a checking drive on the weekend against people driving on the wrong side of the roads in Dehradun. He said that three enforcement and bike squad teams issued challans to 69 vehicle operators for driving on the wrong side of the roads in Saharanpur Road, Chakrata Road, Haridwar Road, Sahastradhara Road and Raipur. He said that drivers driving on wrong sides are also being monitored via interceptors equipped with cameras and the department is sending notices to offenders captured in them. He said that according to the statistics of vehicular accidents, most of them occur in Dehradun due to driving on the wrong side. He said that driving on the wrong side is a punishable offense under section 184 (dangerous operation) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, in which, if caught for the first time, the authorities can impose a fine of Rs 1,000 to 5,000 besides imprisonment of up to six months.
