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Helmets keep heads safe

Among the least expensive aids that give a motorcycle or scooter rider a "second chance" in an accident is the crash helmet. In a mishap, this protective headgear is estimated to lower the likelihood of death by a significant 40 per cent and risk and severity of injury by as much as 70 per cent. This vital, life-saving quality should have logically led to helmet use being made mandatory for two-wheeler riders. Sadly, such a law is not uniformly enforced in India, reflecting apathetic policies towards road safety and public health. In a fresh attempt, the World Health Organisation is trying to persuade governments in low- and middle-income countries to overcome their inertia and make helmet use compulsory. It has built on the recommendations of its World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention and published an informative manual containing a framework of action for governments and civil society.

The need for well-designed helmets and a culture of safety among governments is greater today than ever because there is an upward trend in the use of two-wheelers. Some governments, such as Thailand's, have passed laws to make them compulsory. Not surprisingly, the country recorded a 40 per cent drop in head injuries and 24 per cent fewer deaths in motorcycle accidents. Despite such unimpeachable data on safety, it is disappointing that few Indian States have chosen to enforce Section 129 of the Motor Vehicles Act providing for compulsory and proper use of a standard helmet. There may be a case for improving the design of helmets to increase the level of comfort in hot and humid conditions but there is little excuse for not enforcing the law to stem the tide of death and disability.

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