No Helmets?

Updated on: 30 April,2009 08:39 AM IST |
Anjum Samel |

Anjum Samel agrees with Surendra Patel, who is contesting as an Independent from Mumbai North, that helmets are uncomfortable and hamper vision

No Helmets?

Anjum Samel agrees with Surendra Patel, who is contesting as an Independent from Mumbai North, that helmets are uncomfortable and hamper vision

He says that besides causing discomfort, they hamper one's vision, hence, endangering the rider's life.

Most must have considered this contention as cynical, but there is a lot of merit in Patel's thinking.

In a traffic-infested metropolis like Mumbai, the two-wheeler fatal/serious accident rate is negligible compared to the number of bikes on the roads.

Minimal speed

This is because there is minimal scope to speed on our congested roads and not necessarily due to the usage of helmets.

Rather, the usage of helmets, as rightly pointed out by Patel, hampers a rider's periphery vision.
Any biker will confirm this. And this reduced vision can lead to an accident.

Besides, the helmet also impairs the biker's hearing and often the warning honk of an approaching vehicle from behind goes unheard.

So Patel's contention needs to be given serious thought.

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