Survey by Exide Life Insurance reveals 73% of riders in Chennai ride without helmets
Posted on: 28/Feb/2018 12:21:37 PM
73% of Chennai riders admit to riding helmetless in comparison to the national average (57%). 78% of Chennai pillion riders admit to riding helmetless which is closer to the national average of 74%. These are amongst the findings of a recent survey published by Exide Life Insurance, revealing the startling habits of Chennai’s two-wheeler riders. The survey was conducted as part of Helmet Saves, A Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative by Exide Life Insurance to highlight the issues of road safety across India.
According to the survey, nearly 1 out of 4 respondents see less danger for the pillion than the rider and hence believe that helmets are not necessary. This number remains despite nearly 1 out of 2 Chennai bikers admit that wearing a helmet is a measure taken to adhere to the law.
Two-wheelers remain one of the most unsafe modes of transport. A study by the United Nations reveals that wearing a good-quality helmet improves riders’ chances of surviving an accident by 42% and helps avoid up to 69% of injuries to riders
According to public data, over the last decade, the incidence of accidental deaths has witnessed an upward trend with an increase of 44.2% for the year 2011 as compared to 2001. This figure translates to one death on the Indian roads every five minutes and is expected to escalate to one death every three minutes by 2020. Even though helmets are becoming more the norm than the exception on the roads of Chennai, only 37% of Chennai bikers admit that they wear a helmet for a journey that is both short or long which is lower than the national average of 46%. Additionally, 42% bikers will offer a lift to pillion riders without a helmet as they believe that they are a safe driver and there would be no risk for the passenger.
“It is a known fact that helmets work for two-wheelers. Even though they don’t make you invincible, helmets decrease the severity of the injury. Yet, surprisingly, more than 70 % of Indians admit to have ridden a bike as a rider without wearing a helmet. Unfortunately while parents realise that it should be mandatory for children to have the necessary safety gear in place while riding on two-wheelers, implementation of it, is not rigorously practised on a day to day basis. As the survey brings out, staggeringly, nearly 71% of the respondents have observed children in Chennai riding helmetless.” says Mr. Mohit Goel, Director- Marketing and Direct Channel, Exide Life Insurance.
Helmet Saves Program underlines the necessity of wearing a helmet while riding a two wheeler. The compelling narrative of the campaign propagated through digital and on ground activations has received overwhelming response in key social media platforms making it one of the top pieces of content shared in social networking sites. Through Helmet Saves, Exide Life Insurance will continue to create awareness on the importance of wearing helmets to ensure reduction in the number of road traffic fatalities in the coming years.
View Helmet Saves Film in language of your choice: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW_yF41G38U_WLWJgawTdhKjusy_oaHZJ
Visit https://helmetsaves.life for everything you need to know about helmets and helmet safety.
