Mangaluru: A lady police officer who was riding pillion without helmet breaking the law was not fined by the traffic police who were on duty in Thokkottu on October 16.
A student from a private college videographed the whole incident. The pillion rider lady officer is seen travelling without helmet on a Honda Activa (Registration No KA19–7742). The student told Newskarnataka that the cops who had been fining commuters who travel without helmets on the same road let go off the officer though they were on duty.
According to the Motor Vehicles Act, no police organisation is exempted, not even police bikes and they need to obey the law.
Mandatory helmet rule was passed even for the pillion riders across the state from 1 February 2016. The first time offender will be fined Rs 100. But a third time offender may lose his/her driving license, if the pillion rider does not wear helmet.
The rule is being implemented after the Supreme Court Committee of Road Safety directed the state to implement it at the earliest. The committee had notified the same to six states including Karnataka first on 18 August 2015 to implement the rule. According to the notification, two-wheeler riders and pillion, irrespective of the horsepower of the vehicle, will have to wear helmets. The earlier rule was applicable only for riders in major municipal corporation areas but the new rule has made helmet mandatory for both the rider and pillion across the state.
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