LAHORE: Taking the lead from Rawalpindi, Lahore traffic police have also made helmets mandatory for pillion riders starting Monday.

Rawalpindi police have enforced pillion helmet condition mandatory from Feb 1. The enforcement falls under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance of 1965, which is being implemented nearly 60 years after its promulgation.

In Rawalpindi, violators as would face Rs2,000 fine and the motorcycle would be impounded in police station.

An official citing Lahore City Traffic Officer (CTO) Athar Waheed said the Section 89 A of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 reads, `No person shall drive, or ride the pillion seat of, a twowheeled motor vehicle except when he is wearing a crash helmet.

In this section, the `crash helmet` means a helmet made of such material and meeting such other requirements as may be prescribed.

The Section 89 of the Ordinance provides that no driver of a twowheeled motorcycle shall carry more than one person in addition to himself on the cycle, and no such person shall be carried otherwisethan sitting on a proper seat securely fixed to the cycle behind the driver`s seat.

To address the issue of the financial ability of motorcycle riders, a community-led policing initiative will be initiated, as a majority of motorcyclists are unable to purchase helmets due to the prevailing economic situation.

The CTO said at a meeting, according to the official, that the traffic police would issue certificates of recognition and certificates of achievement to those who would help motorcyclists and the traffic police in the implementation of road safety standards.

These certificates would also be helpful in getting visas, as most advanced countries give preference and privilege to those possessing these certifications.

Sharing further details of the community-led initiatives, the CTO Lahore said that young university students or socially active citizens could be registered as traffic police volunteers to support traffic police initiatives to create online or inperson awareness.

The department would issue a certificate of achievement to that student who shares with the traffic police a list of 10 individual traffic volunteers.

Similarly, an opinion leader or celebrity who records at least fivetraffic police public messages will be given a certificate of road safety ambassador.

The CTO directed circle traffic officers to circulate the promotional videos of the celebrity on different topics of road safety.

Also, if any businessperson or institution distributes more than 50 helmets to citizens, they will also be given a certificate of road safety ambassador.

Similarly, the law-abiding certificate will be given to those who would convince their children to use helmets or show extraordinary compliance with the traffic laws.

The department has directed each traffic police circle officer to conduct one block meeting with traders, community groups, and housing society members to share traffic police initiatives and record their video messages, especially those of women.

Under the initiative, special recognition will be given to women motorcycle drivers, he said, adding that the circle officers have been directed to engage NGOs that are busy with social and humanitarian work.

The SPs traffic and the circle officers would conduct one road safety workshop on a fortnightly basis and engage the religious scholars every Friday for public awareness on road safety.