Dear Friends,

You might think that helmet is an unnecessary burden which destroys your looks then I am going to share a tiny story witnessed by me in the year 1997 in Jaipur (Rajasthan).

My maternal uncle was supposed to get married in the last week of May 1997. He also used to have very good looks and personality and was considered chick magnet. One fine day in April 1997 while he was riding his 350cc Royal Enfield Standard Black Bullet  with an insignia of not wearing the helmet, he took a turn and was hit by a TATA 407 mini truck causing bullet to lose its front fork and my uncle literally flying from his seat and falling on his head on a heap of stone slabs (yes it is a real story) helmet would have surely reduced the impact.

Good deeds and wishes of family, he survived the crash, felt unconscious and was rushed to SMS hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with a broken jaw and literally hammered the jaw to fit it back in place in operation theater and wired it to hold it for a period of 6 months.

After the surgery he was unable to eat or chew and was on liquid diet for 6 months. He used to feel pain for long nights and to make it worse, on his day of marriage was unable to smile for the pictures.

Then after the recovery of jaw injury, he again started to ride but one day, suddenly, the entire body beneath the navel got paralyzed and he again slipped and received minor injuries. Unfortunately, he was unable to stand up or move his legs. Clinical diagnosis showed some neurological problem.

Such paralytic attacks continued for a long time till 2006. After that long medication and numerous therapies helped to avert such attacks.

I have witnessed his pain and agony of entire family and relatives. You get hurt, you feel physical pain that can be treated by medicines but your family members suffer psychological pain for which there is no single remedy available in market, thus my friend Helmet is for your own good.

If you still feel that it is an unnecessary baggage and difficult to carry here and there I suggest you to invest in helmet locks available with spare part dealers for 150 to 200 Rs. If that lock is not available then go for bicycle wheel locking loops available for as low as 80-100 Rs.

If you feel that by wearing helmet your view gets blocked you can install Rear view mirrors on your vehicle. I have been using the above mentioned apparatus since the year 2008 and I am as relaxed as any other person who doesn’t wear helmet because you cannot carry it with you all the time.

On the 12 December 2009, I was supposed to get married in the evening. In the morning, I left on my Hero Honda CD 100 to pick up a relative from Rana Pratap Nagar Railway Station. As soon as I crossed the circle of Thokar Chouraha my bike slipped.

No, I wasn’t hit by a truck, car or any other vehicle neither a cow, pig or dog came into scene; I slipped over on the oil spill on a speed of 30 Km/Hr and hit my tail bone with no other injury.  Yes, I was wearing a helmet so I can still boast good looks.

This tail bone injury costed me my career as an insurance sales trainer as I was unable to sit continuously for more than 2 hours, and my job requirements needed me to travel long distances while sitting, Can’t go for long movies in theater, can’t go for long car or bike rides, can’t ride a bicycle, can’t work in office because you have to sit on a table and chair for long hours and I was a healthy, unemployed person who can’t sit for long hours.

After rigorous physical training and costly drugs which I was able to afford after 4 years of injury, I am back to fitness.

One more accident that has recently happened in my vicinity was where my neighbor crashed in a truck almost 20 days ago. Luckily everyone survived the crash with stitches as the airbags of the car inflated but his infant suffered a severe hand injury and was operated in Ahmadabad, on bed rest for 2 months. Experts are of opinion that if seat belts were fastened, none of the family members would have to to seek medical attention.

So in short my dear friends, ignoring the safety gears while riding is like placing your bare hand in fire. No it is not correct to perceive that nothing will happen to you.

Written by: Aditya Joshi

Note: The views expressed here are entirely of the author and UT doesn’t take responsibility of any concern arising out of the content.