Helmet law + promote + enforce

The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030 (Global Plan)^[2] sets a target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030. Achieving this target requires implementation of evidence-based interventions that are known to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries.  Motorcycle helmet law, combined with enforcement and publicity are one such evidence-based intervention.

Two- and three-wheelers account for 28% of all road traffic fatalities worldwide. South-East Asia and the Western Pacific regions report the highest numbers of two- and three-wheeler fatalities: 43% and 36% respectively. All regions are seeing an increase in motorcyclist fatality rates (Figure 1).^[3]

Motorcycles are widely used in many countries for personal and public transport as well as for service delivery. Most low- and middle-income countries have seen a significant increase in the use of motorcycles due to the high cost of other modes of transportation and in response to an increase in traffic congestion in urban areas.^[5] However, motorcycle riding remains one of the most unsafe forms of transport.^[6]

Unlike car occupants who may have crash protection from airbags and seat belts,  motorcycle users lack crash protection, making them particularly vulnerable to traffic related fatalities and injuries.^[7] Motorcycle riders are 27 times more likely to die in a traffic crash than car occupants and are about six times as likely to be injured.^[8]

Injuries to the head and neck are among the main causes of death and severe injury to two- and three-wheeled vehicle users.^[9] A motorcycle helmet reduces the impact of acceleration-deceleration forces to the brain, as well the impact of the direct contact with an object or surface at the moment of a crash.^[10]  

Using helmets can decrease the risk of death in a motorcycle crash by 39% and serious injuries by 72%.^[11] (Figure 2)  

The full benefit of death and serious injury reduction from motorcycle helmet use depends on the amount of face coverage (see different styles in Figure 3) and whether the helmet is appropriately fastened and meets helmet standards. Full-face helmets provide the highest level of protection against crash related head and neck injuries than other types of helmet.^[13] Helmets must be fully fastened^[14] and follow helmet standards^[15] (e.g., UN Regulation No.22, ECE-22^[16]) to be effective. A helmet law, enforcement, and publicity must therefore cover all these aspects.

In places where the helmet law, enforcement and promotion are executed together, helmet wearing rate reaches over 95%.^[18] Increased helmet wearing achieved through the three elements of law, enforcement, and promotion decrease fatal and nonfatal injuries. In particular, motorcycle-related head injuries are reduced by as much as 33% and the severity of the injury is reduced.^[19],[20]

A universal helmet law—that applies to all motorcycle drivers and passengers irrespective of age and gender on all public roads in both rural and urban settings—is much more effective in increasing helmet wearing and reducing fatal and nonfatal motorcycle crash injuries than a law that exempts certain groups or settings.^[21]

A helmet law with exemptions is more difficult to enforce, making it less effective than a universal helmet law. For example, if a law exempts helmet wearing based on the age of the rider, it is very difficult for enforcement officers to single out how old a rider is when s/he is riding past on a motorcycle.^[22]

The helmet law and standards must also consider the size of children. Children’s helmet wearing rates are often found to be lower than adults’ in some countries.^[23] Children not wearing a helmet are more likely to be injured and their injuries more severe than those wearing a helmet in the event of a motorcycle crash.^[24] However, currently, the smallest helmet size regulated by standards would approximately fit the head of a five- to seven-year-old child.^[25]

A helmet law, no matter how comprehensive, could not have the full effect of correct helmet use without enforcement that effectively applies penalties for noncompliance.^[26]

Promotion—that informs motorcycle riders about enforcement of the helmet-wearing law, the penalties for noncompliance, and why helmet wearing is being enforced (i.e., to protect motorcycle riders from head and brain injuries)—generates greater compliance with the law.^[27]

Promotion also warns people what is illegal and that they may receive an unattractive penalty for noncompliance. This should be done in advance of enforcement to give motorcycle riders time to purchase the right helmet. This creates a perception of fairness, making the law and enforcement more effective.^[28] However, promotion without the law or enforcement will not increase helmet use or reduce deaths and injuries to the same degree.

The Safe System approach is a human-centric approach which dictates the design, use and operation of our road transport system to protect the human road users.^[29] The human body, without physical protection, is not built to withstand impact forces greater than approximately 30 km/h and the inherent lack of crash protection to motorcycle riders puts them at a higher risk for injuries and deaths and injuries of greater severity.^[30] Correct wearing of standard motorcycle helmets protects the heads of riders.

Motorcycle helmet law, enforcement and promotion together save lives and reduce the severity of crash injuries, thereby reducing economic costs and positively contributing to a country’s economic growth.

The economic costs related to injury and loss of life from traffic crashes include money needed to treat injuries, loss of hours worked, vehicle repair costs, insurance or third-party costs, and costs of congestion from a crash.

A World Bank study highlighted that halving road crash deaths and injuries could generate additional flows of income, with increases in GDP per capita over 24 years as large as 7.1% in Tanzania, 7.2% in the Philippines, 14% in India, 15% in China, and 22.2% in Thailand.^[31]

Global Plan

Page 13, box 3, points 1: Vehicle Safety

• Require high-quality harmonized safety standards for new and used motor vehicles, safety belts, child-restraint systems and motorcycle helmets, including:
  • standards on front and side impact to ensure that occupants are protected in a front and side-impact crash;
  • safety belts and safety belt anchorage for all seats to ensure that safety belts are fitted in vehicles when they are manufactured and assembled;
  • ISOFIX child-restraint anchor points to secure the child-restraint systems attached directly to the frame of the vehicle to prevent misuse;
  • electronic stability control to prevent skidding and loss of control in cases of oversteering or understeering;
  • advanced emergency braking to reduce collisions;
  • pedestrian protection standards to reduce the severity of impact with a motor vehicle;
  • motorcycle helmets certified according to international harmonized standards;
  • anti-lock braking system and daytime running lights for motorcycles;
  • intelligent speed assistance systems to help drivers keep to speed limits;
  • eCall or Accident Emergency Call Systems (AECS) to trigger an emergency response by an in-vehicle sensor.

Page 15, box 4, points 1, 3, 4: Safe Road Use

• “Enact and enforce road safety legislation:
  • Set maximum speed limits considering the type and function of roads.
  • Establish blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits to prevent impaired driving (drink- and drug-driving) with specific provisions for novice and professional drivers.
  • Mandate the use of protective equipment (safety belts, child restraints and helmets).
  • Restrict the use of handheld electronic devices while driving.
  • Establish a dedicated enforcement agency, provide training and ensure adequate equipment for enforcement activities.
• Ensure road infrastructure takes account of the needs of all road users and is designed to facilitate safe behaviours, including:
  • clear road signage and road markings that are intuitive;
  • use of roundabouts and traffic calming designs such as speed humps;
  • physical separation of road users including use of protected bicycle lanes and pedestrian only zones.
• Make use of vehicle safety features and technologies to support safe behaviours, including:
  • automatic safety belts and seat-belt alerts;
  • intelligent speed assistance;
  • technologies to disable texting and or other forms of distraction while driving.“

Global Road Safety Performance Targets

• Target 2: By 2030, all countries accede to one or more of the core road safety-related UN legal instruments.
• Target 7: By 2030, increase the proportion of motorcycle riders correctly using standard helmets to close to 100%.

Stockholm Declaration

Page 3:

• “3. Call upon Member States to contribute to reducing road traffic deaths by at least 50% from 2020 to 2030 in line with the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development’s pledge to continue action on the road safety related SDG targets, including 3.6 after 2020, and to set targets to reduce fatalities and serious
  injuries, in line with this commitment, for all groups of road users and especially vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and users of public transport;
• 4. Call upon Member States and the international community to address the unacceptable burden of road traffic injury on children and young people as a priority, increasing political commitment, by ensuring that the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health delivers necessary action on road safety;
• 5. Ensure political commitment and responsibility at the highest level and establish regional, national and subnational strategies and action plans for road safety and contributions from different governmental agencies as well as multi-sectoral partnerships to deliver the scale of efforts required at regional, national and sub-national levels to achieve SDG targets, and that these strategies and efforts are transparent and public;
• 6. Encourage Member States that have not yet done so to consider becoming contracting parties to the United Nations legal instruments on road safety as well as applying, implementing and promoting their provisions or safety regulations, and ensure that legislation and standards for road design and construction, vehicles, and road use are consistent with safe system principles and are enforced;
• 7. Include road safety and a safe system approach as an integral element of land use, street design, transport system planning and governance, especially for vulnerable road users and in urban areas, by strengthening institutional capacity with regard to road safety laws and law enforcement, vehicle safety, infrastructure improvements, public transport, post-crash care, and data;
• 9. Encourage and incentivize the development, application and deployment of existing and future technologies and other innovations to improve accessibility and all aspects of road safety from crash prevention to emergency response and trauma care, with special attention given to the safety needs of those road users who are the most vulnerable including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and users of public transport;“

Page 4:

• 14. Call upon businesses and industries of all sizes and sectors to contribute to the attainment of the road safety related SDGs by applying safe system principles to their entire value chain including internal practices throughout their procurement, production and distribution process, and to include reporting of safety performance in their sustainability reports;
• 16. Encourage increased investment in road safety, recognizing the high rates of return of road injury prevention projects and programs and the necessity of scaling up activities to meet the road safety related SDGs;

Academic Expert Group of the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Global Road Safety

Recommendation 1: Page 7 and 28: “SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND REPORTING: including road safety interventions across sectors as part of SDG contributions.”

“In order to ensure the sustainability of businesses and enterprises of all sizes, and contribute to achievement of a range of Sustainable Development Goals including those concerning climate, health, and equity, we recommend that these organizations provide annual public sustainability reports including road safety disclosures, and that these organizations require the highest level of road safety according to Safe System principles in their internal practices, in policies concerning the health and safety of their employees, and in the processes and policies of the full range of suppliers, distributors and partners throughout their value chain or production and distribution system.“

Recommendation 2: Page 7 and 34: “PROCUREMENT: utilizing the buying power of public and private organizations across their value chains.

“In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals addressing road safety, health,
climate, equity and education, we recommend that all tiers of government and the private sector prioritize road safety following a Safe System approach in all decisions, including the specification of safety in their procurement of fleet vehicles and transport services, in requirements for safety in road infrastructure investments, and in policies that incentivize safe operation of public transit and commercial vehicles.“

Recommendation 4: Page 7 and 41: CHILD AND YOUTH HEALTH: encouraging active mobility by building safer roads and walkways.

“In order to protect the lives, security and well-being of children and youth and ensure the education and sustainability of future generations, we recommend that cities, road authorities and citizens examine the routes frequently traveled by children to attend school and for other purposes, identify needs, including changes that encourage active modes such as walking and cycling, and incorporate Safe System principles to eliminate risks along these routes.“

Recommendation 9: Page 7 and 59: TECHNOLOGY: bringing the benefits of safer vehicles and infrastructure to lowand middle-income countries.

“In order to quickly and equitably realize the potential benefits of emerging technologies to road safety, including, but not limited to, sensory devices, connectivity methods and artificial intelligence, we recommend that corporations and governments incentivize the development, application and deployment of existing and future technologies to improve all aspects of road safety from crash prevention to emergency response and trauma care, with special attention given to the safety needs and social, economic and environmental conditions of low- and middle-income nations.“

Page 14: Leadership on road safety

“Create an agency to spearhead road safety
Develop and fund a road safety strategy
Evaluate the impact of road safety strategies
Monitor road safety by strengthening data systems
Raise awareness and public support through education and campaigns”

Page 14: Enforcement of traffic laws

“Establish and enforce laws at national, local and city levels on:
drinking and driving;
motorcycle helmets;
seat-belts; and
child restraints“

A/RES/76/294 Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on Improving Global Road Safety

Page 3-5:

“1. Drive the implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, which describes key suggested actions to achieve the reduction in road traffic deaths of at least 50 per cent by 2030 and calls for setting national targets to reduce fatalities and serious injuries for all road users with special attention given to the safety needs of those road users who are the most vulnerable to road-related crashes, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and users of public transport, taking into account national circumstances, policies and strategies;

2. Develop and implement regional, national and subnational plans that may include road safety targets or other evidence-based indicators where they have been set, and put in place evidence-based implementation processes by adopting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach and designating national focal points for road safety with the establishment of their networks in order to facilitate cooperation with the World Health Organization to track progress towards the implementation of the Second Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030;

3. Promote systematic engagement with relevant stakeholders, including from transport, health, education, finance, environmental and infrastructure areas, and encourage Member States to consider becoming contracting parties to the United Nations legal instruments on road safety and, beyond accession, applying, implementing and promoting their provisions or safety regulations;

5. Adopt evidence- and/or science-based good practices for addressing key risk factors, including the non-use of seat belts, child restraints and helmets, medical conditions and medicines that affect safe driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, narcotic drugs and psychotropic and psychoactive substances, inappropriate use of mobile phones and other electronic devices, including texting while driving, speeding, driving in low visibility conditions, driver fatigue, as well as the lack of appropriate infrastructure; and for enforcement efforts, including road policing, coupled with awareness and education initiatives, supported by infrastructure designs that are intuitive and favour compliance with legislation and a robust emergency response and post-crash care system;

6. Ensure that road infrastructure improvements and investments are guided by an integrated road safety approach that, inter alia, takes into account the connections between road safety and eradication of poverty in all its dimensions, physical health, including visual impairment and mental health issues, the achievement of universal health coverage, economic growth, quality education, reducing inequalities within and among countries, gender equality and women’s empowerment, decent work, sustainable cities, environment and climate change, as well as the broader social determinants of road safety and the interdependence between Sustainable Development Goals and targets that are integrated, interlinked and indivisible, and assures minimum safety performance standards for all road users;

10. Deliver evidence-based road safety knowledge and awareness programmes to promote a culture of safety among all road users and to address high-risk behaviours, especially among youth, and the broader road-using community through advocacy, training and education and encourage private sector participation in supplementing national efforts in promoting greater road safety awareness as part of corporate social responsibility;

12. Acknowledge the importance of adequate, predictable, sustainable and timely international financing without conditionalities in complementing the efforts of countries in mobilizing resources domestically, especially in low- and middle-income countries; support the demands of financing in developing countries by leveraging the United Nations Road Safety Fund and other dedicated mechanisms, as appropriate, for promoting safe road transport infrastructure and for supporting the implementation of measures required to meet the voluntary global performance targets, including by supporting the voluntary replenishment of all United Nations system road safety funds and mechanisms;

13. Promote capacity-building, knowledge-sharing, technical support and technology transfer programmes and initiatives on mutually agreed terms in the area of road safety, especially in developing countries, which confront unique challenges and, where possible, the integration of such programmes and initiatives into sustainable development assistance programmes through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation formats, as well as public-private collaboration;

14. Promote the development, knowledge-sharing and deployment of vehicle automation and new technologies in traffic management using both intelligent transport systems and cooperative intelligent transport systems, in line with national requirements, to improve accessibility and all aspects of road safety while also monitoring, assessing, managing and mitigating challenges associated with rapid technological change and increasing connectivity;

15. Contribute to international and national road safety by encouraging research and improving and harmonizing disaggregated data collection on road safety, including data on road traffic crashes, resulting deaths and injuries, and road infrastructure, including those gathered from regional road safety observatories, to better inform policies and actions; strengthen road safety data capacity, including in low- and middle-income countries, and improve the quality of systematic and consolidated data collection and comparability at the international level for effective and evidence-based policymaking and implementation while taking into account privacy and national security considerations; and request the World Health Organization to continue to monitor and report on progress towards the achievement of the goals of the decade of action;

16. Leverage the full potential of the multilateral system, in particular the World Health Organization, the good offices of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Road Safety, the United Nations regional commissions and relevant United Nations entities, as well as other stakeholders, including the Global Road Safety Partnership, to support Member States with dedicated technical assistance and, upon their request, in applying voluntary global performance targets for road safety when appropriate;