LAHORE, Nov 9: Making motorcyclists wear crash helmets has become a matter of choice for Lahore traffic police, and the condition is being used as a pretext to either extort money from the unwary violators or to collect revenue for the government under special instructions.

“We are now lenient towards those who do not wear helmets. The favour is especially given to the old, the poor and those who travel with women or children,” a number of traffic policemen and sergeants informed Dawn here on Thursday.

Nevertheless, a senior official said police had been punishing the violators claiming that from Jan 1 to May 31 as many as 108,146 were challaned. The figure for the entire 2005 was 130,771, which proved that the police were not sparing anyone.

The condition to compulsorily wear crash helmets was imposed around two years ago despite protests by people, especially those who could not afford to buy the protective head gear. Old people or those having ailments like blood pressure too found wearing helmets in summer troublesome. The government went on enforcing the condition, but later allowed exemption to the old people.

The new requirement created a shortage of helmets in the local market, which was not ready for the sudden rise in its demand. Those having stocks, nevertheless, minted quick money by selling helmets at exorbitant rates.

Many a motorcyclists did pay the high price to avoid challans by police, but the government took a notice of the black marketing and managed to reduce the helmets’ prices to a large extent by adopting a sticks and carrots policy with regard to the traders.

Those who could not find a proper helmet or were unable to afford one purchased relatively cheaper cricket or industrial gears. Many others used plastic dishes to cheat the not so obliging policemen into believing that they were at least covering their heads.

Later, the arrival of supplies, especially from China, enabled the shopkeepers to meet the demand mostly of the customers with low purchasing power. The sale of helmets in streets also contributed a lot in reducing their prices.

Different organisations, especially the city district government, distributed helmets among people making them realise that having one was a must for every motorcyclist.

Police, on their part, continued to challan the violators without any discrimination, making it clear to all and sundry that they could not ride motorcycles in the city without wearing a helmet.

The zeal nevertheless subsided with the passage of time despite the fact that every motorcyclist knew that not wearing a helmet was a punishable crime.

“Police don’t bother much about helmets now. But, I am wearing the helmet because it protects me against enormous pollution in the city, besides any possible head injury,” a youngster said.

Shopkeepers in the city’s major motorcycle market, McLeod Road, said the prices were stable and stocks abundant. The main supplies were from China and the prices of good helmets were between Rs350 to Rs500. The locally-manufactured helmets were of low quality and their prices ranged from Rs250 to Rs300, they said.

A constable said, requesting anonymity, that the condition of wearing helmet was a source of income for the corrupt among the traffic police. “You can stop any violator and make him pay you to avoid a fine ticket. The amount less than the official fine is their income and it guarantees the violator a free ticket,” he alleged. —Intikhab Hanif