Overspeeding heavy vehicles won’t be reined in. Unfit vehicles will not be taken off the roads. Licensing and policing will not be tightened. Lane discipline and adherence to traffic rules will not be ensured. Road humps won’t be removed, potholes will not be filled. Traffic impediments won’t be cleared. Alcholics anonymously drinking and killing won’t be pulled aside. But….
But the Kerala High Court wants to prohibit women in sarees from riding pillion on two-wheelers.
A division bench has pointed out that women wearing sarees cannot sit comfortably astride on the rear seat of scooters and motorcycles. Since they sit on one side, with legs projecting outwards, this leads to head injuries in the case of accidents, while negotiating potholes or sharp curves. Therefore, says the court, the rules can be amended “in the public interest”.
Questions: Is a ban on women wearing sarees riding pillion feasible? Practical? Should such a change be brought into the motor vehicles act? Should two-wheeler makers consider design changes to accommodate the safety concerns of saree-clad women? Or should women wearing sarees riding pilliong compulsorily wear helmets? Will this result in the death of the saree? And, yes, what about women in burqas?
Tags: Churumuri, Kerala High Court, Motor Vehicles Act, Police, Sans Serif, Saree
24 August 2008 at 3:07 pm
It is certainly dangerous to ride pillion with both feet on one side – but I doubt if legislation is the right way forward..
24 August 2008 at 5:26 pm
As I commented on one of the previous articles, it is lakhs and crores of families like these who need the Nano most …… at least for safety reasons.
24 August 2008 at 6:55 pm
@Shravan,
Lakhs n Crores of Nano is not sustainable. You will require conveyor belts on the roads in India to make vehicles to move because of Traffic jams.
Just not Nano the production of all fossil based fuel need to be curtailed. we have enough and move of these junk vehicles being dumped into India.
Mass Transit system is the way forward and this can reduce reckless individual subsidised consumption. The perception that inflation is high is on account of this reckless consumption of gasoline by the super rich in India. They enjoy subsidised consumption and the vast majority has to face the impact of inflation.
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On the Court’s verdict. It’s welcome move. The Court has been more sensible than the lawmakers.
There has been more accidents on account of entangled sarees and duppatas on the roads in India.
Unfortunately I dont see any women commenting on this blog so far.
24 August 2008 at 7:23 pm
This should have been done a long time back. But I think for a country like India its very difficult to implement.
24 August 2008 at 9:01 pm
Wonderful idea that has occurred to the law maklers. Accidents donot happen if a pillion rider is sitting on one side and wearing sari. They say while avoiding potholes and negotiating short curves….improving the conditions of the roads, implementing traffic rules strictly and educating people should be the main concern.
24 August 2008 at 9:16 pm
I think this is a positive move. I lost my sister in an accident. She was sitting side ways one a bike wearing a sari. My brother-in-law who war riding the bike did not notice a pot hole early enough to avoid it.
25 August 2008 at 9:27 am
The great HC should first get the potholes removed and then check statistics. Why not ban the 2 wheeler itself since most so called roads are only in govt papers?
Road accidents in general have overtaken cancer in killing people and will top the charts as number 1 before HIV in the next decade ( forget how many wheels they have)
In fact one can have conveyour belts in all the major roads which could be a great idea instead of vehicles……
25 August 2008 at 9:43 am
Ban music in drinking holes, ban eating out in restaurants after 11.30, ban this and ban that… now ban on women sitting in pillion wearing saree…..
What next???
25 August 2008 at 9:49 am
if you are wearing saree properly ie pin wherever it is nescessary, and take enough care then it will be alright.
What do lawmakers expect women to wear while pillion riding?
Yes nanos are required. But before that we need well connceted public transport- bus-/ rail services.
25 August 2008 at 10:48 am
Dr. Redyy…
You were one of the hyper active posters when ban on live music was forced by the police. Now this is also a ban which is aimed at road safety, protecting the pillion, averting accidents on road.
Your reactions are entirely different this time. You start your post with a IF. A lot of IFs and BUTs can be pur forward to lift the ban on the music in bars and pubs.
I hope you realise the fatality of accepting bans as a norm to induce discipline.
25 August 2008 at 12:02 pm
@Chintaka
I gave you reasons why pubs and bars should be closed before 11:00 ? 11:30. I am sure many ifs and buts (rules) can be formulated to control ‘trafficking’ of many things in drinking places. How many will follow specially after they have consumed some alcohol?
Please read my posts of that thread.
Saree is our traditional dress. I have seen many women in saree as pilion riders or drivers for the last 3 decades or so.
One has to be careful in everything.
25 August 2008 at 12:03 pm
Banning is not good. The law makers should increase the strict safety standards.
25 August 2008 at 1:30 pm
Dr. Reddy,
Having separate set of rules which is convenient to a certain section of people in the society is not good, in this case those who oppose having a night life.
You say banning is not good and the law makers should increae the strict safety standards. How? Forget about saree, I have seen even salwar kameez dupattas getting into the wheel and chain and thus causing accidents. So shall we go ahead and ban Salwars too???
I think only when more such bans come into picture which affects the daily life of citizens, the futility of bans will be realised.
25 August 2008 at 2:22 pm
Dupattas/ Sarees get entangled into the wheels bcoz of negligence or carelessness of people who wear them, Is n’t it?.
Many women let the duppattas fly in the air as if they are kind of flags!!
I agree with you Ban may not be a solution. But the word ‘ban’ may bring alertness, awareness among people, I think so.
Deaths due to accidents by two wheelers are on a alarming rise in Bengaluuru.
I was talking to a very very well educated person who keeps going to parties. Her answer was shocking to me when I told her “After drinking beer/.wine, one should not drive, as one tends to loose balance”. She said “nothing happens. It just beer/wine.” But both have some percentage of alcohol.
If everybody thinks that way, imagine what would happen on the roads?
Many times poor passerbys/ police on patrol have been killed due drunken driving.
Best is bring awareness. But do you think our system/our people will listen, if there are no strict measures?
If law makers ban saree pillion riding, they should provide such families with alternate transport services.
Already inflation-rich India, it has become a burden on common man/woman to lead a decent life.
25 August 2008 at 3:36 pm
As sarees, long skirts and dupattas are dangerous for the pillion rider, she should either wear jeans/trousers or miniskirt.. Wow.. Please make this a law!
30 August 2008 at 12:48 am
Vehicles can be redesigned quickly, culture cannot. It is easier for vehicle manufacturers to provide the necessary safety by engineering something new, rather than change the law for saree-clad women. The latter is simply a silly idea, by someone who seems to understand the problem, but doesn’t know the right solution.
29 October 2008 at 2:27 pm
It is a weird decision by the 100% literate state. Banning Sarees on 2 wheelers to avoid accidents! Two wheeler accidents happen due to various reasons other than sarees which might get stuck in the wheel spokes. Saree guards on 2 wheelers offers some protection on this. Maybe Kerala state is not aware of this. Most of the times the driver loses balances while trying to avoid pot hole or oncoming vehilces etc.. Will be interested to see if the number of accidents have come down after this judgement
3 July 2012 at 2:13 pm
This could be dangerous,but the female in the book Changing Pillion faced much more danger.Read it,you will be on the edge of your seat with excitment.