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HELMET CAN SAVE YOUR HEAD-PART I
It was sometime during September
last year that a debate began in Tamil Nadu on whether helmets should be made
compulsory or not for the drivers and riders of two-wheelers. (I am not sure
what has been the outcome of the debate). According to an estimate not more
than 40 percent of the two-wheeler owners in Tamil Nadu possess a helmet and
not more than 7 to 8 percent wear it while either driving or riding on a two-wheeler.
The debate may go on forever and as long as it continues we will continue to
lose our intelligent heads. But really speaking there is no room for a debate.
The Central Motor Vehicle Act 1988 very clearly and unambiguously makes it mandatory
for the riders and drivers of two wheelers to use a helmet. However, the enforcement
being left to the state governments gives room for ambiguity.
Section 129 of Motors Vehicles Act 1988 deals with wearing of protective headgear and reads as under: "Every person driving or riding on a motorcycle of any class or description shall, while in a public place, wear a protective headgear of such description as may be specified by rules made by state government. Provided that the provisions of this section shall not apply to a Sikh if while driving a motorcycle he is wearing a turban: provided further that the state Government by such rules provide such exceptions as it may think fit."
The primary concern though should be the safety of those who use a two-wheeler. Most two-wheeler accidents more often than not result in serious head injuries, that in a majority of cases lead to fatalities. Dr. K. Ganapathy, Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai says "In 24 years having personally managed at least 6,000 cases of head injuries, I can count on fingers of one hand the number of deaths among the group of two-wheeler riders wearing helmets. This is in stark contradiction to the large number of deaths encountered amongst two-wheeler riders with unprotected skulls. Most of us have thick skulls but they are not thick enough."
The people who succumb to head injuries are generally among 20 to 39 years in age. This being the most productive age group, these deaths and injuries are not only an enormous loss of productive human resource but also have serious implications for the health budget of the country. Even with advanced and intensive medical therapy and skilled neurosurgical procedures not many lives can be saved. Even those that are saved at times become pathetically disabled imposing a great burden on the society in general and the family in particular.
Compared to a four-wheeler, a two-wheeler is especially dangerous. According to available statistics, per mile travelled, the number of deaths on two-wheelers is about 14 times the number in cars. Motorcycles have rapid acceleration and high speeds. They're less stable than cars in emergency braking and less visible. Motorcyclists are more prone to crash injuries than car drivers because motorcycles are unenclosed, leaving the rider vulnerable to contact hard road surfaces. This is why wearing a helmet is important. Helmets are the principal countermeasure for reducing crash-related head injuries, the leading cause of death among riders without helmets.
Helmets decrease the severity of injury and thus the likelihood of death, and the overall cost of medical care. They're designed to cushion and protect riders' heads from the impact of a crash. Helmets can't provide total protection against head injury or death, but they do reduce the incidence of both. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of USA estimates that helmets reduce the risk of death in a motorcycle crash by 29 percent, and the risk of fatal head injury by 40 percent.
Helmets are even more effective in preventing brain injuries, which often require extensive treatment and may result in lifelong disability. Studies show that two-wheeler riders without helmets are three times more likely to suffer traumatic brain injuries in a crash than helmeted riders.