No matter what happens, passengers’ lives will always be in the hands of the person operating the vehicle, whether it’s a two-wheeled motorcycle or a four-wheeled car. However, it’s also the responsibility of the driver or the rider to ensure that the passengers are doing their part to ensure their safety while in transit.
Here on our roads, we’re not sure which is more common—rear passengers in a car failing to wear their seatbelts or pillion riders without helmets on. In any case, we know it’s the latter we see more of, especially since it’s the easier violation to spot.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently apprehended a motorcycle-taxi rider whose passenger didn’t have a helmet on. We’re not particularly sure if that was an official ride, because if it was, then we’re sure the company has guidelines in place wherein riders can refuse to render services in such situations.
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In the video, the passenger was seen to have her helmet strapped onto her elbow (another common sight in Metro Manila). She immediately left the scene after the rider was flagged down, though, which was.. weird, to say the least. Shouldn’t the passenger be shouldering a portion of the penalties here?
Strangely enough, the motorcycle-taxi rider admitted to the MMDA personnel that this was the second time this has happened to him. At this point, he should realize that this is also partially his fault, right? In the end, it was just him who took the blame and got the ticket, so it doesn’t really matter whose fault it was.
Anyway, we hope this serves as a reminder to motorcycle riders—whether you’re an official service provider or just someone giving a friend a lift—that if your passenger refuses to wear a helmet, you can refuse to give him a ride, too.
