Thiruvananthapuram: Wearing helmet will be made mandatory for pillion riders on two wheelers from Sunday. Vehicle checking will be conducted to ensure two wheeler riders are wearing helmet. If the pillion riders do not wear helmet, a fine of Rs 500 will be levied. Helmet is also mandatory for children aged above four years.
Transport Commissioner directed that checking should be made stricter. Fine will not be charged widely in the initial phase. The officials are verbally instructed to warn those who violate the rule and let them go. Penalty will be made stricter in the later phases of implementation.
Vehicle checking is made stricter on the backdrop of the high court verdict. Earlier, the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act had made wearing helmet mandatory for pillion riders, but the state did not implement it. As the number of cases targeted per month has increased, helmet checking will be stricter in the coming days, it is learnt.