Smoking and drinking are not ok but Riding Motorcycle without wearing helmet is absolutely fine?

That’s the message you get when you watch a film in India today. 

Because when actors are shown smoking cigarettes or drinking on our screens, health advisories and statutory warnings immediately pop up in the corner alerting us against the hazards. Many of us even look out for the advisory when we notice something drinking/smoking. 

But when a person is shown riding a motorcycle onscreen without wearing helmet , we don’t see any trigger warnings.

There are many studies including George Gerbner's Cultivation Theory suggests people spend 'living' in the television or feature film world, likely to start believing social reality aligns with reality portrayed on television or feature films.

I so far travelled around 95000KM across India covering All states & UTs of India meeting people students to create awareness on helmet usages, strongly feel that there is a general tendency of people specially youth to learn from their heros or heroines on screen

Ironically, these scenes played out in the recent hit film Kabir Singh / Bullet raja and many more  When some of us took to social media to and objected to the glorification of violence, we were dismissed saying “They performed it in control environment” and “how will you know who riding the bike.” 

For us these justifications are bizarre and unacceptable! What kind of a world are we living in? Something dangers  shouldn’t be shown to public. Particularly when they are riding in public roads. 

I want to change this mindset and apathy for violence with our Petition . I believe that having statutory warnings on-screen every time a actor riding a motorcycle without helmet is a simple but powerful way to change public perception and spread awareness on helmet safety

After all, what we see in films deeply impacts our minds. There are so many studies and surveys that confirm this. I am not asking for a ban, but an advisory!

Sign our petition asking the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to make it mandatory for movies depicting and referencing actor riding a motorcycle without helmet to carry disclaimers and a public service announcement on screen – both in cinema and on television.

It would make a huge difference if: 

A disclaimer is displayed at the beginning of the film stating that these acts are strictly punishable as per our laws and violate road safety rules.

A 30-second public service ad condemning how it can be injuries to health is broadcast before the film or during the interval.

I believe that having a disclaimer and a public service announcement in films that comprise Motorcycle riding without helmet is a simple but powerful way to change public perception and spread awareness

Help me #i_wear_helmet_for_my_family by signing and sharing our petition today.

Thank You

Ansh - The Mystic Rider 

Ankit Gandhi

Nilesh Telkar

 

NOTE: This initiative is also part of My All India All State & All Districts Motorcycle Expedition in creating awareness on Helmet use. My Work can be seen on my instagram profile @TheysticRiders