Colombia:
Helmet Laws Work
In Cali, Colombia, motorcycles are the main form of transportation for the working middle class. In this city of 2 million people, about 200,000 motorcycles are in use daily.
 In Cali, motorcycles are associated with a disproportionate amount of injury and fatality. From 1993 to 2002, one-third of motor-vehicle deaths were motorcyclists. In an attempt to prevent these injuries, Cali’s Municipal Government passed a law requiring motorcycle helmet use – first, for operators only in 1996 and for both operators and passengers in 1997.
Helmet Use Surveys
Periodic surveys of helmet use have been conducted since June 1996, by a group of health and safety agencies that include the Cisalva Institute and the Public Health and Transportation Secretariats. These surveys were funded by the Fondo de Prevención Vial, an agency supported by car insurance companies.
College students were trained to observe motorcyclists and complete wearing data using seven prevalence measures. Data were collected at critical traffic intersections.
Survey Results
Prior to the passage of the first helmet wearing law, about one percent of motorcycle operators wore helmets. Two months following the passage of the law, in October 1996, the wearing rate increased dramatically to 94.8%. Passengers – who by law were not required to wear helmets – had a wearing rate of 3.8%. In April 1997 – six months following passage of the law – helmet wearing was 94.5% for operators and 2.4% for passengers.
In November 1997, the law was modified to require that operators and passengers wear helmets. From March 1997, to March 1998, an educational campaign was conducted to inform motorcyclists and their passengers about the helmet wearing law. In March 1998, following the end of the educational campaign and six months after changes in the law, helmet use was 94.7% for operators and 81.1%for passengers.
In June 1999, this rate was 97.7% and 87.6% for operators and passengers, respectively. A final survey was conducted in April 2002, and the wearing rate was still high – 92.3% for operators, 72.8% for passengers.
Analysis of changes in motorcycle injury data is still being undertaken. Based on these survey data, following passage of a universal helmet law increased wearing rates and helmet wearing has remained at high levels.
-Submitted by Victoria Espitia, Epidemiologist, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)
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