Karachi’s traffic police have introduced strict enforcement rules that require motorcyclists and passengers to wear helmets, with the authorities warning that failure to follow the rules could result in an electronic challan.
The plan is to improve the safety of road users, with officials highlighting helmets are a safety measure to protect the head, eyes, in addition to the general safety of bikers when they are involved in accidents.
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As per the new guidelines in the latest guidelines, both the driver as well as the passenger should wear helmets at all times.
The government stated that this decision was taken in order to decrease the number of fatal crashes across Karachi.
DIG Traffic Pir Muhammad Shah announced that if two individuals, including a female passenger, are traveling on a motorcycle and the passenger is not wearing a helmet, the system will automatically detect the violation and issue an electronic challan.
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He also advised the drivers of online riders to always keep an extra helmet for their passengers.
DIG Shah warned that citizens shouldn’t expect a small penalty. The new penalty for the traffic violation regarding helmets is fixed at Rs 5000 instead of the previously set Rs 500.
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Traffic officials have stated that the move is part of a larger campaign to ensure compliance with safety rules. They insist that wearing helmets regularly can drastically reduce accidents in Karachi’s crowded trafficked prone.
