I'm not,but Bangaloreans certainly are. As an indignant observer of the ups and downs in the helmet rule saga in Bangalore, I have one question to ask:Do we really need the government to tell us that our heads are precious? Don't we know that if we are in an accident and not wearing a helmet, we might suffer serious head injuries,or even die?
One day the fellows making the rules say that helmets are compulsory, and suddenly everyone's driving with a helmet on. The next day, for reasons unknown, the rule is scrapped and not a soul on the road is seen with one. There are plenty of reasons people give for not wearing a helmet. It messes up my hair, its hot and uncomfortable, it causes hair loss, its not cool, etc, etc. But one reason which gets me all riled up is "I have confidence in my driving".
Let's assume Mohan is a rider who is very confident about his driving and hence, sees no occasion to wear a helmet. With all the traffic and the rule flouting drivers in the city, no rider can be controlled and in his element 24/7, but lets assume Mohan is this kind of an ubercool rider. He follows all the rules and drives safely all the time. But can he anticipate which way the speeding truck/auto/car in front of him is going to swerve? Can he tell if he's going to brake fast enough to avoid hitting a kid who runs into the middle of the street?(In my friend Rashmi's case, a pig ran into the street. She was wearing a helmet, but nonetheless, she broke some bones. Not of the pig.) Can this "I can go wrong nowhere" guy escape the inevitable potholes and other obstacles that our city keeps creating with absolutely no prior notice? I don't think so.
Last but not least, the prize for "Most lame reason" goes to:"Its my head. Why are you so bothered about it?" For the same reason that murder is a crime. After all the law can say;"Its your life. Why should I bother about it?"
