Canadian politician bats for helmet exemption for Sikh riders

Canadian politician, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Jagmeet Singh is backing a new Bill  proposal that seeks to amend the Highway Traffic Act in favour of Sikh riders who do not wish to wear a crash helmet.

The Bill is aimed at changing the law in a way as to make it legal for riders of Sikh religion to ride their motorcycles on public roads without wearing a crash helmet. Instead, they should be able to retain their holy turban called a Dastaar.

During the previous proposal back in 2013, Ontario's Prime Minister, Kathleen Wynne declared that “After careful deliberation, we have determined that we will not grant this type of exemption as it would pose a road safety risk. Ultimately, the safety of Ontarians is my utmost priority, and I cannot justify setting that concern aside on this issue.”

An online source reports that both the NDP and PC (New Democratic Party and Progressive Canadian Party, respectively) are now supporting the new legislative proposal, whereas the Liberals, of which Mrs Wynne is a member, are not that fond of such a law.

Currently, Sikhs in some parts of Australia and India are exempt from wearing crash helmets.

Source - autoevolution