Head constable collaborates with NGO, gifts helmets to children

Prateek Chauhan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 14

Delhi Police head constable Sandeep Sahi posted at Rohini for three years has been spreading awareness regarding traffic rules and asking people to wear helmet while they are riding two-wheelers.

On Children’s Day, he was spotted at the Sunder Nagar traffic signal with representatives of NGO Indian Head Injury Foundation, stopping families on two-wheelers with children without helmets. First, the riders were fined and then, their children were gifted a helmet.

Suman Dass, who was fined for not making his child wear helmet, said, "I will make sure from now that whenever I am riding with my child on a two-wheeler, my child wears a helmet."

Hamanjot with the Indian Head Injury Foundation said, "To ensure the safety of children, we joined hands with Sandeep in the awareness campaign for parents to mandatorily get children riding on two-wheelers to wear helmets."

Sandeep being a Delhi Police personnel, took permission from the Traffic Inspector Tuglak Road to do this. "Today, we at India Gate and other traffic signals here, stopped people on two-wheelers carrying children without helments and told them about the importance of helmet for children. First, they were fined, then a helmet was gifted to them. And 10 helmets were given during the campaign."

About three years ago, Sandeep's wife Pinki Rani (33) had met with an accident and got injured as she was not wearing a helmet. Since then, Sandeep with Delhi Police has taken the initiative of making parents aware that everyone of them should wear helmets while they ride with children.

"Children have sensitive skulls and the possibility of them getting gravely injured is greater than adults. However, when it comes to protecting them in accidents we have a lax attitude," he said.

Another major reason parents don’t buy helmets for children is because helmets for children are expensive. A family that only owns a two-wheeler would not spend an amount like Rs 2,000 for children’s helmets. As per a traffic expert, if helmets are made mandatory for children, parents will start buying them.

As per Dr Anil Bansal, for children, protective gear should be made compulsory because injuries to cervical spine and brain can even cause death.

Recently in east Delhi's Krishna Nagar, a 14-year-old boy while riding a motorcycle was rammed down by an unknown vehicle and he died on the spot. He was not wearing helmet.