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A National Helmet Laws –
Three Country Reports
We have received reports from India, Iran, and South Africa describing their experiences with national helmet laws. We thank our correspondents and we welcome contributions from your own country.
India
National mandatory helmet legislation for motorized two-wheelers (MTWs) is included in the Indian Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. Implementing the law, however, has been left to the states. Many states have yet to implement the legislation. In fact, in 1995 lobbying by opposition groups in the state of Karnataka led to the repeal of the helmet law. In Karnataka there are 42 million registered vehicles; 71 percent of these are MTWs. The state capital, Bangalore, has 2 million registered vehicles, 75 percent of which are MTWs. In 2004, over 6,000 deaths and 50,000 injuries resulted from road crashes in Karnataka. Of these, 40 percent were to riders and passengers of MTWs. More than a third were brain injuries.
In the 10 years since repeal of the Karnataka helmet law, a considerable amount of effort has gone into bringing back the helmet law, including the following activities:
- Raising awareness of the problem by making steadily rising death and injury data available to the public;
- Raising awareness of the evidence by publishing a report on the effectiveness of helmets and disseminating to government departments;
- Campaigning by doctors who publicly endorsed helmet legislation;
- Spreading information by highlighting the road safety situation in the state;
- Issuing legal directives and in 2002, the High Court directed the state government to reintroduce helmet legislation;
- Using the law courts to publicly question the absence of road safety measures including the lack of a helmet law;
- Countering myths by using the media to dispel misconceptions about helmets, such as: that helmets are unnecessary at low speeds or for short distances, that riders wearing helmets are more careless, and that helmets cause neck injury; and
- Moving toward legislation rather than relying solely on public education.
The combined effect of these efforts was a concerted move to tackle the lack of helmet use and increasing awareness among the public of road safety, helmet use in particular. As a result, in 2004 the Karnataka government proposed reintroducing the helmet law, setting a 45-day period for public comment. Guidelines are being developed to ensure the smooth implementation of the law and to evaluate its impact. Enforcement needs to be both visible and non-aggressive. Early results appear positive. Rates of helmet use rose from a low of under 5 percent to 30 percent within a few days of the new law being announced.
Abstracted from: Gururaj G et al. Epidemiology of head injuries. Bangalore, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, 2004 (PR/3/03).
Iran
Iran has one of the highest rates of road traffic-related deaths in the world, and spends approximately US$ 6 billion a year on road traffic crashes. Motorcycles make up an increasing proportion of the country’s registered vehicles – about 40 percent in 2005. Over half of the road traffic crashes involve motorcyclists, with the risk of incurring a severe injury or fatality 10 times higher than for users of four-wheeled vehicles. Almost 70 percent of motorcycle deaths are from head injuries as a result of the non-use or improper use of helmets.
Although there has been a law for many years in Iran requiring that motorcyclists wear helmets, it was not until 2002 that it was seriously enforced. Beginning with the highways of the capital city, Tehran, traffic officials stepped up enforcement, increasing by a factor of 10 the fee for non-compliance of helmet use. At the same time, they launched a television campaign to raise awareness of the helmet law. As a result, helmet use increased from under 2 percent in 2002 to about 60 percent in 2004, and over 95 percent in 2005. The initiative was then taken to Iran’s other five major cities, with similar results.
In Iran’s many small towns the situation, however, was different. About half of all motorists drive unregistered vehicles and many motorcyclists lack a license. To increase helmet use in these towns, research was undertaken to study riders and their socioeconomic situation. The study found significant differences between motorcyclists in small towns and those in large cities. For 85 percent of the population of smaller towns, the motorcycle is the single family vehicle and 52 percent of motorcyclists rely on their vehicle to transport goods. Although 92 percent of motorcyclists surveyed owned a helmet, only 13 percent wore it, reflecting the high proportion – about 72 percent – who for some reason did not use the helmet.
Following this research, a three-year program was established between the Iranian government and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The Safe Community Program on Helmet Use will use various approaches to increase helmet use in urban areas. Five intervention cities will be compared to nine control cities receiving no intervention in order to evaluate the program. The intervention cities will receive the following:
- An improved system of motorcycle registration and increased enforcement of motorcycle registration and driving licenses;
- Incentives for helmet use and strict enforcement of the helmet law;
- Identification and banning of defective motorcycles along with special incentives to repair motorcycles;
- Public education on local helmet programs and safety education for children;
- Exhibitions and street carnivals to encourage helmet use;
- Active collaboration of driving schools; and
- Motorcycle helmets at reduced prices.
The results of the study will help formulate interventions to increase helmet use in all parts of Iran but tailored to the particular needs of individual towns.
Submitted by: A.R. Moghisi, National Focal Point & Director, Injury Prevention & Safety Promotion Programs, Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health & Medical Education,Tehran, Iran
South Africa
In October 2004, the South African government passed a law making it compulsory for all bicyclists to wear helmets. The regulation requires the use of a protective helmet that is properly fastened and fitted while riding a bicycle or being carried as a passenger. According to national road traffic crash data in South Africa, 270 cyclists were killed during 2004.
Despite this, less than a year after the law was passed, most South African cyclists still are not wearing helmets. Enforcement of the law is poor – a reflection of the difficulties in applying the national legislation at the local level – and an appropriate fine has not been determined. Some traffic officials, interviewed about the new law, did not know it had been passed; others said there was a lack of public knowledge of the law in spite of considerable media coverage when it was passed. Even some cycling associations seem to have little awareness of it, although the South African Cycling Federation has now been enforcing international rules about helmet use in bicycle races and preventing cyclists from racing without a properly fitting helmet. In certain areas traffic officers are promoting the new law, but this is not the case across the whole country. Some officials are urging the national transport department to provide clear guidance on implementation of the legislation at the local level.
Submitted by: Lynn Vermaak, Manager, Safety Behavior Studies Unit, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
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