Video of 7 children riding pillion on one scooter without helmet go viral

Seven children riding pillion with an adult on a scooter, that too without helmet on any one of them. A video of the incident went viral on social media over the past weekend which forced the Mumbai Traffic Police to swing into action. The video, which was shot at Mumbai Central bridge (East) on June 20, shows a person riding a scooter with seven children, all of them minors, along with luggage. Five days later, Mumbai Traffic Police tracked down the rider and booked him.

Mumbai Traffic Police has not revealed the identity of the accused. The police posted an image of the rider on the same scooter with a morphed face. Taking to social media, Mumbai Traffic Police said, “Not the ride we support! This rider had put the life of all pillion riders and others in danger. A serious offence u/sec 308 IPC for attempt to commit culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against the accused rider."

Riding without helmet is the biggest killer on the streets of Maharashtra. According to a recently released report by the state transport department, around 7,700 two-wheeler riders were killed last year. The report says the biggest caused of casualties was riding without helmet. According to the report, nearly 15,000 road accident fatalities recorded in the state in 2022 with more than half of the victims were on two-wheelers.

According to the report, most of the victims involving two-wheelers had head injuries because they were not wearing helmets. According to the Motor Vehicles Act, not wearing helmets is a punishable offence. Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act says that riding a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet is an illegal offence. This rule applies to both rider and the pillions. The punishment for anyone caught without a helmet while riding a two-wheeler can go up to Rs. 1,000. Riders may also face suspension of their licence or see it seized. In certain cases, the rider can be imprisoned for up to three months.