In the last one week, the City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) has issued challans to over 58,066 motorcyclists, mainly because they were riding bikes without helmets on different roads of the city, a local media outlet reported.
The crackdown against ‘helmetless’ motorcyclists kicked off on September 24 and has resulted in a large number of tickets issued.
The CTPL has also announced a crackdown against vehicles that produce smoke. At least 10,153 challans were issued to motorcyclists on Mall Road alone. The campaign has received a mixed response from citizens. At the same time, the prices of helmets surged in the city after the crackdown.
The CTPL issued challans to 8,009 underage drivers and 18,081 for one-way violation. The parents of 657 underage drivers were asked to submit security bonds.
Chief Traffic Police Officer (CTO) Liaqat Ali Malik said they were ensuring the compliance of court orders.
He said it was encouraging to see that 95% of the motorcyclists had started using helmets. He added that the police were also sensitising transporters about smog. They would soon start a crackdown against smoke-emitting vehicles, including motorcycles, rickshaws and buses, he announced.
HELMET PRICES SURGE:
Meanwhile, although the city district government has fixed the prices for both local and imported helmets amid CTPL’s ongoing crackdown against helmet rule violators, the helmet rates have surged in the city.
The CTO has written to the transport and the industries departments over the violation of helmet laws and the sale of substandard gear in the market.
“On the directives of the honourable Lahore High Court, this unit started to take action against motorcyclists riding without helmets. However, after the initiation of action against helmet violations, complaints from different forums of society are being received to the undersigned (CTO) that retailers are selling substandard helmets at very high prices in the market due to which the aim to avoid head injury in an accident cannot be achieved,” he said in his letter.
Malik requested the secretaries to direct price control magistrates and inspectors of the industries and transport enforcement wing to take action against the production and sale of substandard helmets.
The authorities have fixed the prices of local and imported helmets to Rs500 and Rs1,150, respectively.
The step has been taken to control the helmet prices hike after the LHC passed the orders to take a strict action against the violators. The CTPL, in line with orders of the LHC, is imposing fines of Rs1,000 to motorcyclists.