Lahore: In a major decision to save the lives of citizens, the traffic police have announced that now it will be mandatory for both the riders on a motorcycle to wear a helmet. According to the authorities, if the driver or the person sitting on the back seat travels without a helmet, an online e-challan will be issued, the amount of which has been fixed at Rs 5,000.
According to DIG Traffic Pir Muhammad Shah, dozens of motorcycle accidents are reported in Lahore every day, most of which involve head injuries, so the helmet ban is being tightened further. He said that many citizens consider a helmet necessary only for the driver, while the person sitting on the back travels without a helmet, which proves to be fatal.
Traffic authorities have especially warned online bike riders, food delivery representatives and employees of bike taxi services to keep an extra helmet with them. According to the authorities, if a rider does not provide a helmet to his passenger, he will also be challaned, even if the driver himself is wearing a helmet.
According to traffic safety experts, this decision is in line with global road safety principles. They say that such measures have significantly reduced deaths and serious injuries during accidents in other countries. They expressed the hope that this law will not only reduce accidents in Lahore but also make the behaviour of citizens more responsible.
The traffic police have appealed to the public not to see this law as just a ban but to consider it as a necessary step to protect themselves and their loved ones.
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