MALAYSIA:
Helmet Update
In Malaysia, motorcycles are the most common means of transport. Motorcycles are cheaper to operate and, given traffic congestion and road conditions, more convenient than private automobiles. A trip on a motorcycle that takes 42 minutes, will take 92 minutes on a bus and 60 minutes in a car. In 2002, more than half of the 12 million registered vehicles in Malaysia were motorcycles. Motorcycle fatalities are disproportionately represented. Of the 6,282 fatalities in 2003, almost 60% (3,548) were motorcyclists.
Most of the motorcycle fatalities are the result of head injuries. According to a recent study, head injuries were diagnosed in 55.3% of the motorcycle fatalities. Another 31.4 % of the fatalities were diagnosed with “multiple” injuries that could also include head injuries. Thus, the proportion of head injuries could range from 55% to 87% of all fatal injuries in motorcyclists.
Initiatives
Because of the popularity of motorcycles as well as the high proportion of motorcycle injuries, Malaysia was one of the first countries to have a law requiring motorcycle operators and passengers to wear helmets. Malaysia’s law, first passed in 1973, did little to reduce the number of head injuries because the law was not widely publicized or enforced.
Although about 85% of riders wore helmets, according to surveys conducted in 1995, only 41% of the helmeted motorcyclists wore their helmets properly secured.
In 1997, Malaysia introduced a motorcycle safety and helmet campaign to increase the proper wearing of helmets. This targeted campaign encouraged motorcycle safety and helmet wearin g through nationwide television commercials, newspaper advertising, and outdoor billboards. The general public universally saw the safety messages in these advertisements.
By June of 1998, shortly after the safety and helmet campaign was launched, by then, more than half of the motorcyclists (54.5%) were wearing their helmets properly but nearly one-quarter of the motorcyclists in rural areas (24%) were not wearing helmets at all. About twenty-one percent were wearing their helmets loosely or without the straps attached. Another survey, taken following the campaign, showed that 66% of the motorcycle riders were complying with the helmet law and wearing their helmets secured correctly.
In 2002, a new motorcycle safety campaign was launched. This new campaign encouraged parents to have their children wear helmets while they were passengers on motorcycles. The campaign also focused on getting all riders to properly strap their helmets. The campaign was widely seen by the target audience. The effectiveness of the campaign - in terms of increased helmet wearing in children and improved wearing in adults - has not been measured.
Conclusion
In Malaysia, there have been national efforts to increase the wearing of properly secured helmets. These efforts have been successful increasing helmet use and increasing the proportion of helmets that are properly secured.
-Submitted by Professor Radin Umar, Director, Road Safety Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia
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