Now it will be mandatory for policemen to wear helmets in Maharashtra. Taking a big step regarding road safety, Maharashtra DGP has made it mandatory for all police officers and employees to wear helmet while driving two-wheelers. In this regard, strict instructions have been issued to all police commissionerates and district police units across the state. This decision was taken after a high level meeting held recently in Nagpur. In the meeting, the DGP clearly said that if the law enforcement police themselves do not follow the rules, then it will not be possible to bring awareness among the common citizens.
Strict action will be taken against policemen who do not follow this order. According to a study conducted by the police department, 35 to 40 percent of those killed or seriously injured in road accidents in the last ten years are two-wheeler drivers. According to experts, proper use of helmet can reduce the risk of serious head injuries and death to a great extent. Despite this, helmet rules are ignored in most of the districts of the state.
Action taken for not wearing helmet
According to the report, in big cities like Mumbai and Nagpur where more than 80 percent of two-wheeler riders wear helmets. At the same time, in other districts this figure is less than 20 percent. Under the new order, if any policeman is found driving a two-wheeler without a helmet while on duty, a fine will be imposed under Section 194 (D) of the Motor Vehicles Act. Not only this, if a picture of a policeman without a helmet appears on social media, it will be considered as serious indiscipline and will be recorded in his service book, which may affect his career.
The DGP office has directed all units to ensure immediate compliance with this order and send its compliance report to the headquarters as soon as possible. This decision of the police department is being considered an important initiative towards road safety, officials believe that when the police themselves will follow the rules, the general public will also be more aware about wearing helmets.