Nothing can make the daredevil Noida woman wear a helmet

After giving 10 days’ time to women to buy helmets, the Delhi Traffic Police (DTP) would be implementing the rule for women driving two-wheelers or riding pillion to wear helmets from September 10 onwards. However, Noida remains unconcerned. Hardly any young girl on two-wheelers can be seen wearing a helmet in Noida as they find it against their style and comfort. After the DTP issued a notice making wearing helmets mandatory for women (except Sikh women), Noida Times spoke to the girls in the city, who seemed unaffected by this decision and said that the traffic police in Noida has always been soft on the ‘fairer sex’.Helmet sellers in the city also said that not many girls wear or buy helmets are probably not taking the helmet drive too seriously because of the ‘Noida mein sab chalta hai’ attitude.
There’s no checking happening here
While a few girls cited personal reasons, many others said they don’t wear helmets because they know that the police will not stop them. Gungun Srivastava, 19, and a resident of Sector 27, says, “I have a helmet, but even after a year, it is still lying unused. The police never stops girls or fines them for not wearing helmets. Then why should we be cautious in advance? When I heard about the helmet drive in Delhi, I was a bit scared that day, kahin kisi crossing pe pakdi na jaun. But nothing happened.”
Dhrithi, a 35-year-old engineer who lives in Sector 65, says, “I won’t lie that the Delhi helmet drive did not affect me. I don’t have a helmet as of now, but I’ll buy one if the drive continues. But while driving in Noida, I noticed that the DTP’s decision has no effect here and the police is not conducting any checking drive. Since I only drive in Noida, so my plans to buy a helmet are cancelled for the time being.” Ambreen Fatima, a 26-year-old housewife living in Sector 59, says, “When I read about Delhi’s helmet drive in the newspaper, I had a good laugh. Forget Noida, I don’t think it will be fully implemented even in Delhi, because the police would first need to employ women cops at every crossing – only then can they stop a girl. I usually wear a helmet for my own safety, and not because I am scared of the cops. Delhi’s police should conduct awareness drives like the Noida police did last month, instead of a checking drive.”
Girls forget it’s for their own safety
Rajeev Narayan Mishra, superintendent of police (traffic), admits that women drivers are shown more leniency than their male counterparts. “In comparison to men, not many women wear helmets. The Motor Vehicles Act does not have any provision for showing a lenient attitude towards female motorists. It is mandatory for them also, but we are not very strict with the female riders. They are mostly youngsters – school and college girls who are well-educated and aware of the fact that wearing a helmet is a matter of their personal safety,” said Mishra.
No rise in helmet sales
Vendors across the city say that they have not registered any rise in the sale of helmets since this new provision was announced. Bablu, who works at a helmet shop in Sector 18, says, “It is the men who usually buy helmets, not the women. It is rare that a girl would come to our shop to buy a helmet. It has always been like that, and even in the last few days, we have not registered any rise in sale of helmets for women.”
Helmets and hair issues
Girls cited many reasons for not wearing helmets – from forgetting to put it on every single time they step out of the house, to not having the time to wear a helmet, to a ‘who cares?’ attitude. However, a few girls said that they don’t wear helmets because it messes up their hair. “I don’t mind wearing a helmet, but I have had a bad experience with it. My parents and friends have told me often to wear it, but I was not willing. It was plain and uncool. Then, my father bought a helmet with graphic designs for me, and I wore it for one or two months, but my hair started getting sticky due to the sweat. Hence, I avoid wearing helmets. I love my hair and I can’t risk it by wearing a helmet,” says 20-year-old student, Sneha Bharadwaj who lives in Sector 19.
Pushpanjali Mishra, 19, a BA first year student, who lives in Sector 33, agrees, “The inner part of the helmet is spongy and there is no ventilation. When a person wears the helmet for long, the continuous exposure to sweat can damage their hair. I can’t take the risk.” Alka Pandit, 26, a resident of Sector 5, says, “I know helmets are extremely important for one’s safety. There are a few new helmets in the market in which the inner lining can be changed. When I complained about hair issues at home, my dad came up with the idea of tying a piece of cloth over my head and then wearing the helmet. But now, I am used to not wearing a helmet, so I prefer not to.”
The cool quotient
Some women admit that helmets don’t look fashionable. “Helmets look so outdated. A two-wheeler is considered cool, but when the whole face is covered by a helmet, the feel is gone. I don’t want to look like a daaku,” says Swati Sinha, 28, a resident of Sector 17. Meenal Chaddha, a 22-year-old Mass Communication student, living in Sector 44, adds, “I’ve been driving a two-wheeler for the last five years. There was never a day when I wore a helmet for more than three-four days in a row. When I drive, I feel free. But when I drive wearing a helmet, it’s a burden. I don’t need a helmet for my safety. I can take care of myself.”
Suneeta Reddy, 32, a housewife living in Sector 66, tells us, “I pick up my three-year-old son from school on my two-wheeler every day. I know that helmets are for our safety, and I even tried wearing one. But I just don’t feel comfortable. I don’t think wearing helmets should be mandatory for women because it’s not us, but the men who drive rashly.”