Recently an eleven-year-old boy in Kolkata lost his life in a road accident while returning home from school with his mother. The scooter they were riding was hit by a speeding bus causing the young boy to sustain fatal head injuries. It is learnt that after the accident the sale of children's helmets have risen in the city. Children fall within the category of vulnerable road users. School students need to wear a helmet while pillion riding to school to reduce the risk of injury or death. In Goa one seldom sees children wearing a helmet while being taken to school by the parents. In fact helmets for children are rarely available for sale in the market in the state. In India, the Central Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Rules (2022) calls for small children between 9 months and 4 years to wear a safety harness and either a crash helmet or a bicycle helmet. Wearing a helmet can make the difference between a minor injury and a life-threatening one. Therefore, all children who ride pillion to school are required to wear a helmet that meets safety standards.
