Fall 2004 archive of past newsletters

Nepal Changes Helmet Laws

The Asia Injury Foundation reported that the Nepalese Secretary of Ministry of Labor and Transport Prem Nidhi Gyawali recently announced that helmets are now mandatory for all passengers on motorbikes. The country’s existing law required that only drivers wear helmets. This policy change is a first step toward preventing death and injury among Nepalese children involved in motorbike crashes.

As incomes rise in Asia, more families are trading in bicycles for motorbikes. The motorbike becomes the family’s primary means of transport and often multiple passengers ride on a motorbike. As a result of poor road conditions, inexperienced drivers, and unprotected drivers and passengers of motorbikes, the number of deaths and injuries from crashes has risen sharply in Southeast Asia. Nepal has a rate of 62.7 traffic deaths per 10,000 vehicles, compared to 2.1 deaths per 10,000 vehicles in the United States.

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