Why should I wear a helmet?

First a short background. Tonight our car got towed. This was when we were having a dinner consisting of dosai and idlis. Not only was the food bad, we were in for a rude shock when we saw another car parked where we had parked our car. We did a double check, walked through the entire parking lot just to make sure but then reality sank in. The car was gone. It had been towed.

Now to cut a long story short, we got the car back after paying the requisite fine. But while paying the fine, I saw at least 10 other towing receipts in front of me. A quick back on the envelope calculation follows:-

Let’s assume 16 receipts per day (probably up to 20). 16 * 300 = 4800Rs. 4800 * 30 = Rs1.44 lakhs. Assume 30 police chowkis in Mumbai. Rs30 lakhs per month to the Mumbai pandus. Wonder how much of this goes in to their stomachs.

But while researching traffic rules, I stumbled upon this gem of a FAQ. The Mumbai police explaining traffic rules to inquisitive questioners. The helmet section is a hoot. Check out this question for instance:-

Question: Why must I wear a helmet?

When man was created, he was quipped with a skull to protect his brain. This original protection measure ” set-up” was effective in the then soft environment which was man’s normal habitat’. As man evolved, he started by taming the horse, as he outgrew the speed capability of the horse, he began searching for faster modes of travel. He first developed the steam engine, followed by the internal combustion engine and then the turbine. Man, while he has succeeded in propelling himself at speeds that would have scared his ancestors, has also changed his surroundings to hard unyielding surfaces both horizontal and vertical.

Unfortunately, he has not been able to transform himself to the protective needs of his new lifestyle and environment. The helmet is, therefore, necessary and just a link in the long chain of safety equipment and counter measures man has to use in his present surroundings.

Lol. Talk about beating the bush. The author of this FAQ would make a good consultant. Read the entire Mumbai traffic police FAQ at your leisure.

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