How would you feel if you bought a wonderful necklace, and the jeweler didn't even care to give you a jewelery case. Or if he says "Sir, the shop down the street has a good selection of jewelry boxes. I really recommend you to buy one before you take the ornament home". You might have just paid for the gold, but isn't it obvious that the jeweler provide at least the basic case to protect your precious metal.
Thinking on this line, I don't see a reason why helmets should not be sold with the motorcycle! After all it is an essential safety requirement and the law mandates that a helmet be worn at all times while riding a motorcycle, though seldom enforced. Similarly don't cars come with seat belts and head restraints as standard. You don't buy a car and then retrofit it with an essential safety equipment like a seat belt from a shop down the street, well at least not since the past ten years. Then why so in a motorcycle? I think the manufacturers must supply the very essential head gear while selling the vehicle.
Think of it in India, where half the people who own a motorcycle(forget wearing one) don't even own a helmet. Most of then just purchase some phony headgear when entering big cities (where the helmet rule is more or less enforced) or when they come across a police barricade, from a strategically placed street vendor. And most of these, it surprises me, don't even offer the protection of a construction site hard hat. Another instance that comes to my mind is when hand painted clay (yes!!) helmets were sold off the streets some years back in Delhi.
So when the authorities wake up one day and enforce the helmet rule (for the n-th time)do you think the average Indian will invest in one. I don't think so. You don't need to be an American to tell the difference between shelling out a 50 to a cop and some four grand on a decent ISI mark helmet. Which anyway after two or three days of heat the authorities would go back to snooze mode again (for the n-th time). So practically, what is the point of implementing a rule when half the owners don't even have a helmet and find it more profitable not to invest in one!
Now what if the bike you bought with came with its very own helmet. A helmet that is suited to the particular motorcycle, a nice open faced helmet for a scooter and an apt full faced one for your sports bike, possibly even carrying the same colour or graphics scheme from the vehicle. So then everyone would have a helmet and if you are an Indian I'm sure you will see the difference between shelling out a dear 50 to a cop and wearing that nice new helmet resting in your broom cupboard.
I don't see a reason why this wouldn't work, after all we are the kind of people who wouldn't let go of anything with a 'free' badge, be it even a burger with a health club registration. I mean, how hard would it be for them to throw in a basic ISI mark head gear with every bike. The question is not 'why' but 'why not'?
it's a nice thought, but most jerks will still sling it on their handle while riding the bike... they guy might spoil his blow-dry hair do!
ReplyDeleteAllow them to sling it on the handle. Let everyone sling it on the handle, this is where the law should come in and enforce the rule. Now since everyone has one, it will be better thought!!
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