Delhi Traffic Police shows mirror to riders without helmets, gets applauded by the internet

A video showing Delhi Traffic Police Head Constable Sandeep Kumar holding a mirror with placards to encourage riders to wear a helmet has gone viral.

Violating traffic rules, riding without helmets or overloading vehicles on the road are not uncommon sights on Indian roads. Despite these common sights, road safety is a serious and urgent issue in the country.

As per the government data, India has lost 1,47,913 people in a road crash in 2017. According to the Financial Express, 98 two-wheeler riders who weren’t wearing helmets died every day in 2017. To curb fatal road accidents and promote road safety, the government has been rolling out various initiatives.

One such recent initiative shows promise. The Delhi Traffic Police has come up with an innovative idea to educate reckless riders without helmets to mark the 2019 National Safety Road Week, which ran from February 4 to 10.

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According to the law, riders without helmets can be fined up to Rs. 300. However, instead of enforcing road rules specifically, the Delhi Traffic Police is holding a mirror to society, literally and metaphorically. News 18 reports on a viral video of a cop wearing a helmet who is holding up a mirror and a placard before riders without helmets. The placard carries a string of messages. The first one reads, “Kyunki aina jhoot nahi bolta,” which translates to, ‘because a mirror doesn’t lie’.

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The video’s star is Head Constable Sandeep Kumar, who is standing near the ITO (Income Tax Office) road and turning the placards as different messages appear before the riders.

The placards read, “Mera helmet, meri suraksha. Aur aapki?” (my helmet, my protection. And yours?), “ISI mark wala helmet hi prayog karein” (always use a helmet with ISI mark), and “Aapki surakshit yatra ki shubhkamna” (Wishing you a pleasant journey ahead).

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The video of this initiative was uploaded on Twitter and other social media by the Delhi Traffic Police. It has been viewed more than 55,000 times and the Delhi Traffic Police is being applauded for its work.

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