The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety will host a session titled 'Safe Helmets for All: Checking the Realities' at the Habitat Centre in Delhi on Sunday, 1st September. This session is part of the pre-conference programme for the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, known as Safety 2024. The event is set to spark an essential dialogue on helmet safety in India, addressing the challenges and barriers that prevent widespread use of safe, standardised helmets.
Helmet safety is a critical issue in India, where the high number of motorcycle-related accidents often leads to severe injuries and fatalities. Despite the clear benefits of wearing a helmet—such as reducing the risk of death in a crash by over six times and decreasing the likelihood of brain injury by up to 74%—many riders still choose not to wear them, or worse, opt for non-standard, counterfeit helmets that offer little to no protection. This situation has created an urgent need for interventions that ensure every motorcycle rider has access to safe, affordable, and reliable helmets.
The session aims to explore the underlying reasons why many riders fail to wear safe helmets. By gathering insights from a diverse group of participants, including NGOs, academics, and industry specialists, the session will contribute to a broader understanding of the issue. The findings will be incorporated into a new publication by the Alliance, scheduled for release in early 2025, which will advocate for stronger regulations and more effective enforcement to curb the availability of unsafe helmets in the market.
One of the most concerning aspects of helmet use in India is the proliferation of non-standard and counterfeit helmets. These helmets often flood the market due to lax regulations and enforcement, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between a safe helmet and a substandard one. The upcoming session will take a hands-on approach to this issue, with participants conducting a community consultation on the streets of Delhi. They will engage with motorcycle riders, showing them a selection of standard and non-standard helmets available in India, and asking which they would choose and believe to be the safest. This exercise is expected to reveal the extent of misinformation and lack of awareness among the public regarding helmet safety.
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