The Supreme Court has upheld an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had in 2008 banned registration of vehicles without Saree guard accessories in 2008. Though the HC had passed the order on November 25, 2008, it was stayed a week later as the SC put an interim stay after the Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures (SIAM) challenged it in the apex court.
Though it is good judgment and welcomed by all but it is very astonishing that it took almost 10 years to SC to reach such a simple but a life-saving decision. The smart rider knows just how important safety is and takes every measure to be safe. The Saree guard is an important albeit local piece of ingenuity to help loose and flowing clothes from getting tangled in the rear wheel. There have been numerous events where female pillion riders have ended up with injuries because the Saree or dupatta they were wearing got pulled into the rear wheel resulting in them getting either thrown off the bike or in extreme events, facing the risk of getting choked. The resulting injury has whiplash like effects and thus is best avoided. Research has shown that Saree guards can prevent this from happening. Better sense prevailed to prevent fatal accidents in motor bikes, where the pillion suffers grievous injuries as the loose dress getting entangled in the back wheel and causing a fall and instant death as well. Prevention is better than cure.
Nickhil Mani
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
