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Moving forward on safety

The decision of the Tamil Nadu Government to restore the rule requiring two-wheeler riders to wear a crash helmet is a positive step that can reduce the toll of death and disability caused by road accidents. There was little justification originally to suspend the implementation of Section 129 of the Central Motor Vehicles Act when the evidence clearly demonstrated the protective function of properly worn helmets. More recent research has strengthened the case and The Lancet reported last year a 72 per cent reduction in cases of head injuries among motorcyclists wearing helmets. There may be a case for better-designed helmets in the Indian context, given the hot and humid weather conditions but none strong enough to warrant dispensing with the rule on their compulsory use. Significantly, the public health burden for India is bound to rise in the absence of a uniform helmet law, given the high motorisation rates seen in cities and towns. From a base of less than three million in 1981, the number of two-wheelers in the country crossed the 42 million mark in 2002 and continues to rise in an era of strong economic growth and need for mobility. The imperative therefore is for stronger policies on road safety, of which compulsory use of well-made helmets is an important aspect.

Recent proof of the efficacy of laws in bringing about safe road behaviour comes from Taiwan and Italy, where stronger laws on compulsory helmet use introduced a few years ago raised the compliance level to about 95 per cent. In parallel, the number of major brain injury cases involving skull fracture fell sharply in Italy. Resistance to wearing of helmets is often the result of an unfounded fear of loss of aesthetic appeal, a fatalistic attitude to life, and practical discomfort caused by the climate. The medical community has argued in response that the minor discomfort is a small price to pay for the safety insurance provided by a crash helmet. Moreover, merely wearing a light coloured helmet (such as white) reduces the risk of accident by making the rider more conspicuous. There is anecdotal evidence to show that poorly designed helmets sometimes produce disappointing results. Better engineering of helmets holds the key to wider acceptance. The agenda of road safety also warrants uniform enforcement of seat belt use in cars and other vehicles. While vehicle manufacturers have incorporated this safety device in their products as mandated by the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, few States have shown the commitment to get drivers and passengers to use them.

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