Bareilly: In an attempt to curb the rising number of road accident deaths in the state, almost all of which the traffic department believes are a result of drivers not following rules, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to observe 'helmet and seat belt day' every Wednesday.The drive was launched on Wednesday with traffic police issuing challans to 85 two-wheeler riders and 52 four-wheeler drivers on the first day. Police also recovered a sum of Rs 55,000 in fines from offenders.Traffic departments across the state, along with the transport department, will jointly conduct checks for helmets on two-wheeler riders and seat belts in four-wheelers from now on. According to data from the traffic department, there were as many as 19,320 road accidents in UP in 2016, of which 59% were due to people not wearing helmets.Talking to TOI, superintendent of police (traffic) Kamlesh Bahadur said, “November is observed as road safety month and traffic departments across the state have been conducting inspections to check on defaulters, but Wednesdays have now been especially reserved for pulling up people for driving without helmets or seat belts.”Bahadur added, “Traffic personnel have been directed to deploy cops at all prominent junctions, roads and by-lanes. Circle officers of various police stations have been ordered to prepare a time table for conducting drives at their respective zones on Wednesdays.”Also, wearing helmets has been made mandatory for all pillion riders across the state. In a recent order to all SSPs and SPs in the state, Rajesh Modak, deputy inspector general of police (traffic), said that helmets had to be made mandatory for the pillion rider as well, under section 129 (wearing of protective headgear) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

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