No helmet, no petrol

Non usage of protective gear while driving is one of the major cause of death during a road crash. Helmets are quite effective in reducing the likelihood of head injuries as well as its severity. In India 69% of the total number of motor vehicles are motorized two-wheelers, considerably higher than in high-income countries. In European countries, head injuries contribute to around 75% of deaths among motorized two-wheeler users; in some low-income and middle-income countries head injuries are estimated to account for up to 88% of such fatalities. India having the second-largest two-wheeler market in the world and among the first in terms of road fatalities needs stringent enforcement for compulsory usage of helmets while driving two-wheeler. Compulsory enforcement in some countries have brought down the fatality rate. 
A recent initiative of "No helmet, No Petrol" by Ranchi authorities has been started in order to bring down the road fatality rate. However, the petrol pump owners are little skeptical on the success of this initiative but everything done for a good cause with a good intention is more than welcome.

For more read on:
Helmets: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2006.
No helmet, no petrol in Ranchi

Is Enforcement the Only answer??

Every time I see people not adhering to traffic rules makes me wonder Why is the enforcement needed to tell us as to what is right or safe for us? Driving license holders are 18+ year age group. So aren't we mature enough to discriminate between what is right and wrong, and to what is safe or unsafe for us?
Recently I happened to visit Dehradun (District Uttarakhand, India) and I was happy to see women two-wheeler drivers wearing helmets though only the drivers and not the pillion riders. More so many of them purchasing things on roadside with their helmets on and not minding the way they looked, which was good sight for me as back here the place I live in, majority of women two-wheeler riders do not bother to wear helmets (as it is not enforced here for some religious reason). Ironically enforcement again was the answer, it is compulsory for the women riders in Dehradun to wear helmet which is the reason they adhered to it. Why things have to be enforced and it cannot come from within?

Road crashes come unannounced and we have to accept the fact that we human beings are not invincible, so being safe and doing everything for our own safety, of our near and dear ones and to the other road users is of prime importance. Mobility is a necessity and so is our safety when mobile!!