CTPL’s crackdown prompts bikers to wear hard hats

LAHORE: Instead of achieving the desired results, City Traffic Police Lahore’s (CTPL) recent crackdown on bikers without helmets has prompted citizens to sport less than traditional headgear in order to avoid being fined.

Hardly a week after the campaign was launched, the prices of helmets soared from Rs500 to Rs1,500. As a result, individuals have been spotted sporting hard hats, plastic cartons and other paraphernalia which resemble helmets but don’t quite serve the same purpose.

On the other hand, vendors selling hard hats have seen a surge in their business. They can be seen selling their wares at intersections for anywhere between Rs250 to Rs400.

In comparison with helmets, hard hats are made of poor quality plastic and are typically supposed to be worn by labourers during construction work. These days, however, one can see a lot more individuals wearing hard hats rather than helmets.

Irshad Hassan, a commuter, says that he cannot afford a helmet which is why he went and bought a hard hat. “I understand that it is completely useless if I was to get into an accident, but I bought it so that I can avoid being fined,” he admits.

Reportedly, CTO Lahore has written a letter to authorities concerned about the increase in the prices of helmets. However, they have still not managed to control the exorbitant rates.

Experts maintain that using such low quality headgear is actually detrimental to a person’s safety during an accident. These hats can add towards injury rather than prevent it due to the fact that they break fairly easily, one expert comments.

During the drive, CTPL issued fines worth Rs1,000 and Rs2,000 to those on motorcycles without helmets. Such a high fee has prompted almost absurd reactions from the public.

In one instance, a man was so enraged after being fined that not only did he give the traffic warden a piece of his mind, but also chose to tear apart his own clothes. Further, the man threatened to commit suicide by jumping into a canal, saying he is a poor person and cannot possibly afford the fine. In a separate yet similar incident, a man set his motorcycle on fire when he was fined Rs2,000.

As a result, traffic wardens have started filming violators and sharing the footage on social media.

The act has also fuelled another debate as to whether traffic wardens are allowed to film commuters. Several policemen on social media claim that an official is allowed to film a citizen if he is being threatened or abused in the line of duty. Meanwhile, the people are bashing CTPL for overstepping their authority.