According to a report by the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention and the World Bank, head injuries account for 55% to 88% of the deaths among motorcycle riders in Malaysia.
Another study in United States found that motorcyclists who use sub-standard helmets – which half of all the motorcyclists used – were more prone to head injuries than those not wearing a helmet at all.
In Malaysia, helmets that are suitable for children are being developed. The Malaysian Standard MS 1727:2004 Impact Protection Helmets for Young Children is currently being developed by the Department of Standards Malaysia (Standards Malaysia).
There is currently no law in Malaysia requiring a child cyclist to wear a helmet. In the United States, the wearing of helmets by child cyclists has reduced incidence of head injury by 63% and loss of unconsciousness by 86%.
Data from the Road Safety Department Malaysia (comparison of accidents from December 2008 - January 2009), shows that the number of accidents involving motorcycles has increased from 8,129 accidents to 9,378. This accounts to about 15.4% increase.
Many children travel by motorcycles ridden by their parents or by adults. In Malaysia, the law requires motorcyclists and pillion riders to wear helmets, including children. But we can see on Malaysian roads that most children often do not wear helmets and even if they do, they wear adult helmets or helmets that are too big and of low quality, or sometimes even toy helmets.
The move to develop helmets and helmet standards for children is a good move by Malaysia in order to prevent injuries. However, there is clearly still a lack of enforcement in this area, especially in the use of crash helmets by children. The government must also consider making it mandatory for child cyclists to wear helmets.
There is a need to raise awareness, communicate and collaborate with the public – with a strong commitment from all stakeholders – to ensure the safety of our children.
The writer is from Malaysian Association of Standards Users.
