the goan I network
PANAJI
Conventional wisdom that you cannot be fined more than once for the violation of the same traffic rule on the same day may have less than a grain of truth in it.
Superintendent of Police (traffic) Devesh Kumar Mahla has sought to combat this growing notion and explained that the traffic cop can challan you each time he sees you violating a traffic rule.
“Being fined for not wearing a helmet once during the day does not offer you immunity from being fined again for the remainder of the day. Every time a traffic police finds you in violation of a rule in his jurisdiction, he will book you under the Motor Vehicle Act,” SP Devesh stated.
The young SP recounted one such interaction he had with a citizen, who was pulled up twice in two different cities on the same day for not wearing a helmet. “On Saturday, on an enforcement round in Vasco, I fined a two-wheeler rider for not wearing a helmet. However, he was caught again in Panaji for the same offence and I booked him again. He argued that he has already paid the fine once,” he recalled and suggested that instead of arguing for ten minutes with the traffic cop on duty, people should consider following the traffic rules. “We are not here to challan you but to save your lives,” SP Devesh remarked.
Approximately 250 lives are lost every year on Goan roads, of which, overwhelming majority comprises two-wheeler riders. Of these two-wheelers, 70 per cent are without a helmet.
Meanwhile, the reasons offered by riders for not wearing helmets vary in their levels of creativity. While some say they are just going around the corner, some others say wearing a helmet spoils their hairstyle.
SP Devesh also pointed to a disturbing trend on Goa roads. “We have observed that many people carry helmets but wear it only at the sight of a traffic police. They turn their vehicle around and take another route to avoid paying a fine. Whom are you fooling? The helmet stays either on their hands or inside the bike boot. It doesn’t find its way to people’s head,” he said.
