More than 40 pc pillion riders do not wear helmets, sustain serious injuries in accidents: AIIMS Trauma Centre

New Delhi [India], February 28 : Despite having strict rules on road safety, even today many people do not follow them due to which they become victims of road accidents. The figures for the year 2021-2022 released by Delhi's AIIMS Jaiprakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre (JPNATC) show that most of the road accident cases that come to the centre are those who did not follow the rules and did not wear a helmet while driving.
In the study years 2021-22, most of the patients who were admitted to the trauma centre during road accidents were those not wearing a helmet while driving. This also includes the two-wheeler driver as well as the pillion passenger who did not wear a helmet and suffered serious injuries.
Dr Kamran Farooque, chief of trauma centre in AIIMS said that in the year 2021, among the patients admitted to the trauma centre after road accident injuries, 18.59 per cent were those who were not wearing helmets and were sitting in the driving seat. While 43.79 per cent were sitting on the rear seat of a two-wheeler and were not wearing a helmet. Due to this, they also got injured during the road accident.
"On the other hand, if we talk about the figures for the year 2022, there was no complete awareness among two-wheeler drivers about wearing helmets. But in comparison to the year 2021, there was a slight decrease in the number of people driving without wearing a helmet in the year 2022. The figure decreased from 18.59 per cent to 15.42 per cent. The number of passengers sitting on the rear seat of a two-wheeler who do not wear a helmet while driving was 41.12 per cent in the year 2022," he said.
Dr Farooque pointed out that we found that almost 40 per cent of pillion riders in motorized two-wheelers which means motorcycles and scooters, are not wearing helmets unfortunately.
"In the data collected by AIIMS Trauma Center, it has also been found out which vehicle has seen the maximum number of road accidents. In the year 2022, the number of M2W i.e. two-wheelers is the highest which includes motorcycles, scooters etc. In the year 2022, people travelling on M2W vehicles were the most injured at 53.97 per cent. This also includes the driver and the person sitting in the back seat. Apart from this, 22.75 per cent are those people who were travelling in M3W i.e. three-wheelers such as auto. In third place are M4W i.e. four wheeler vehicles which became victims of road accidents. Their figure is 14.99 per cent," he added.
Dr Kamran said that we found out of all the patients who came to the trauma centre, almost 80 per cent of the drivers of two-wheelers, were wearing helmets and 20 per cent of drivers were not wearing helmets which is absolutely against the law. Be it either the driver or the passengers it is mandated by the law that they have to wear the helmet.
The doctor also asserted that if you don't wear a helmet, then the chances of getting a head injury go up.
The chief of the trauma centre, AIIMS, advised that if you value life, then make sure that you wear a helmet whenever you're riding a two-wheeler.
"We do run awareness campaigns off and on about injury and helmets. It is common sense that when you are riding a motorcycle or two-wheeler, you have to wear a helmet because the chances of getting in an accident are very high," he said.