Bengaluru: A recent video of a 21-year-old man riding a bike with a woman seated on his lap on North Bengaluru’s Ballari Road has sparked safety concerns.
The rider, identified as Silambarasen from MV Layout, Shampura, has been booked under IPC Section 279 and sections 184, 189, 129, and 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. The vehicle was seized, and further action will be taken under Section 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC).
This incident has sparked concerns, which heightened with another video showing a couple seating a child on the footrest of the bike.
Such incidents have sparked debates on how those offences compare to wheelie stunts.
Wheelies and other stunts may be legal in designated areas and motorsport arenas, but they are illegal on public roads.
Government data shows that police have registered 1,263 cases of reckless driving under the Motor Vehicles Act this year, compared to 3,178 in 2023.
Professional bikers condemned the Ballari Road incident as "unacceptable", insisting that even riding without a helmet is an offence, let alone carrying a passenger on the tank or a child on the footrest.
Vishal Agarwal, founder of the Bangalore RD350 Club, stressed that stunts should be performed in motorsport arenas like BigRock Dirt Park and Tribal Adventure Café that provide training and safety measures.
Karna Joseph, another rider, mentioned the dangers of performing stunts in residential areas. Youngsters attempting wheelies on underpowered bikes like Activa in residential areas are a risk to themselves as well as residents, he added.
“Recently, some youngsters were doing wheelies in HRBR Layout. Residents often let their children play on these roads, assuming they are safe. Stunts on bikes endanger everyone,” he added.
Siri Gowri, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, North), stated that carrying a person on the rider’s lap is illegal.
Asked why the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) waited until the video surfaced on social media despite having CCTV cameras, Gowri cited technological limitations and a lack of manpower to accurately spot violations.