Vizag police begin fining pillion riders without helmets

Visakhapatnam: After a series of awareness drives to prevent injuries and save lives, and emphasising helmet use for road safety, Vizag city police started penalising two-wheeler riders if the pillion rider is without a helmet.The traffic police have observed that a large number of pillion riders in Vizag city do not wear helmets. Initially, we decided to enforce the helmet mandate for pillion from Jan 1. However, we gave citizens around two months, and now we have started penalising the pillion riders, said the police officers.Currently, the traffic police impose a Rs 1,000 fine on riders without a helmet and, in some cases, also put in a request with the regional transport office (RTO) to suspend the driving license of the violator for a period of three months. A similar penalty for imposing on pillion riders without helmets, the police added.Over 215 cases were booked against the two-wheeler riders for the pillion riders without helmets on Friday (March 27). Additional police have been deployed in sensitive areas across the city to enforce the rule.The police said first-time offenders (pillion rides without helmets) will be slapped with an Rs 1,000 fine while second-time offenders will lose their driving license for three months, said a senior traffic police officer.We have observed that helmet-less riding has been claiming the lives of pillion riders in parts of the city for the past few months. We penalise an average of 1,000 two-wheeler riders for helmetless riding every day, and we have intensified the drive against the pillion rider without a helmet, said ADCP (Traffic) Praveen Kumar. We are also writing to schools and colleges to create awareness on road safety and the helmet rule, he added.Over 5.03 lakh riders were fined for not wearing helmets in Vizag in 2024, and over 3.13 lakh riders were booked for not wearing helmets in 2025. As per the MV Act rules, every person should wear protective gear while driving or riding a pillion on a two-wheeler, and if any person (rider or pillion rider) is found travelling on a two-wheeler without a helmet, he or she is fined Rs 1,000 and if both (rider and pillion) were found without helmet, the rider is fined Rs2,000, the police added.Doctors say that two-wheeler users without proper helmets suffer far more severe traumatic brain injuries, skull and facial fractures in the event of road crashes. A certified, well-fitted, and correctly buckled helmet significantly reduces impact forces, fractures, and fatal brain injury, they added.