Head trauma is the leading cause of death among motorcycle riders, and a safe, high-quality helmet can reduce the risk of death by more than six times and reduce the risk of brain injury by as much as 74%.

Multiple factors hindering the promotion of helmets

However, despite the rapid increase in the number of motorcycles, the use of quality helmets remains low in many low- and middle-income countries. If urgent action is not taken, the number of related deaths and injuries may grow rapidly in the coming years.

WHO points out that the use of helmets is hindered by multiple factors, including the lack of safe, high-quality and affordable helmet products, the lack of helmets available for children, weak law enforcement and hot weather. In addition, not wearing a helmet correctly will also increase the risk of death and injury.

A comprehensive approach

"Authorities must develop laws and frameworks, and implement actions to increase the availability and use of safe and quality helmets," said Matts-Ake Belin, Director of the World Health Organization's Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. "This latest handbook sets out, based on evidence, what needs to be done now."

The handbook should help establish a comprehensive approach to increase helmet use, including a universal helmet law and helmet quality standards, as well as strengthening enforcement and education.

The handbook also provides guidance for data collection and analysis, reviewing laws, policies and regulations, developing a theory of change, and monitoring and evaluating progress.

Forming a road safety system

Belin also stressed that "in order to reduce road traffic deaths, actions must be taken to increase the use of helmets and a safety system approach must be adopted on a larger scale to promote safe and smooth roads. This approach makes people realize that road traffic is a complex system with many interconnected elements that influence each other."

As part of the second "Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety", this safety system approach is being adopted by more and more countries. People are becoming more aware of the limits of the human body's impact resistance, acknowledging that everyone makes mistakes, and working to mitigate the damage caused by these mistakes. After using this approach, countries such as Norway and Sweden have significantly improved road deaths and injuries.

Motorcycle helmets can save lives: WHO

According to data from the World Health Organization, two wheeled motor vehicles are involved in over 50% of the 1.2 million traffic fatalities and millions of injuries that occur each year. Head injuries account for the majority of motorcycle-related fatalities.

With the assistance of the World Bank and others, the World Health Organization has also released "Helmets: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-makers and Practitioners" for traffic safety management decision-making departments to aid middle- and low-income nations in increasing the use of two-wheeled motor vehicle helmets.

The World Health Organization's 2004 World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention outlines a number of objectives that this handbook offers suggestions for nations to meet. According to the World Health Organization, the usage of two-wheeled motor vehicles is growing in popularity worldwide. For instance, motorcyclists or passengers were responsible for 25% of road fatalities in China, where there were 67 million registered motorcycles in 2004. Such fatalities have significantly decreased in several nations since laws requiring helmet use were put into place.

For instance, in 1992, when helmet use was not required in Thailand, motorcycle riders and drivers were responsible for 90% of traffic accident fatalities. Motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities decreased by 40% and 24%, respectively, in the two years following the implementation of the helmet-wearing rule in a northeastern Thai province.