A local MLA has claimed that tourists visiting the state, who take cars and bikes on rent, are being harassed by the traffic police for no reason. It must be said that the traffic police are only doing their duty. The one riding a rented vehicle may not be a tourist but an anti-social element from another state who has escaped to Goa. Hence it is the duty of the police to check each and every one driving/riding a rented vehicle. It is claimed that one tourist is stopped at least five times in a day. A tourist who has been fined for the first time can always show the receipt of the fine collected if stopped multiple times on the way. These tourists may not be used to riding on Goan roads. Hence helmets play a vital role in preventing fatalities due to head injuries as a result of road accidents. Tourists coming to the state do not carry along with them a helmet. It must be mandatory for those renting two-wheelers to tourists to provide the rider and the pillion rider with ISI mark helmets.
