Maharashtra: Want helmet, don't have it, won't belt up

A nationwide survey has revealed that 93 per cent of Indians think children must wear helmets while riding on two-wheelers, but 80 per cent of the parents who ride their kids on bikes do not own a child helmet.

The survey, 'Rear Seat-Belt Usage and Child Road Safety in India', involving 6,305 people across 11 cities, also revealed that 98 per cent of the people do not think it necessary for those sitting in the back of a car to wear a seat belt.

Kolkata emerged as the city where four-fifths of the parents surveyed said they use helmets for their children. Guwahati came next, while Mumbai stood fifth with barely 18 per cent of the people owning child helmets.

Addressing a media workshop on Road Safety last Monday, Maharashtra Transport Commissioner Shekhar Channe said his official vehicle did not have rear seat belts. "Later I got it fixed and now I use it regularly," he said.

The survey was conducted by SaveLIFE Foundation, an NGO.