BBC reports: “Motorcyclists in Nigeria have been wearing dried pumpkin shells on their heads to dodge new laws forcing them to wear helmets…Road safety officials said calabash-wearers would be prosecuted.”
This brings mixed feelings — it’s hilarious on one hand and tragic on the other.
I wonder what needs to be done here: booking and charging the offenders to court, or hammering more on the public health benefits of helmets? Both.
At about 3,500 naira ($29, £20), the cost of helmet appears out of reach for most, and there is even some supernatural belief that impedes the use the helmets. Local papers have reported “passengers’ fears that the helmets could be used by motorcyclists to cast spells on their clients, making it easy for them to be robbed.”
These socioeconomic components of the helmet law must be addressed if the authorities hopes to see the helmet law obeyed. Public health interventions — the helmet law is one example — hardly succeed via executive fiat.
This is a troubling revelation — confirmation that public messages and initiatives are not really making the necessary impact where they should.
Do these okada (bike) operators riders know what it means to sustain a head/brain injury?
I also wonder how the biker crash helmet implementation is packaged — what input do the health departments (state & federal) have in this? This is clearly in the public health realm, the police and traffic wardens should be the enforcers, not the implementers.
Finally, I see a win-win situation in this: local businesses can be empowered by government to manufacture the helmets and other necessary sanitary products like face masks and head covers for passengers. The government would buy from the manufacturers at market price and offered the okada operators at a discount.
Thanks!
January 7, 2009 at 11:23 am
I’m in full agreement with you Damilola. Your opinion and idea are absolutely in line with what I had in mind when writing this piece. I have always believed that every challenge that presents comes with several avenues of opportunity. This crash element issue isn’t any different. Thanks.
January 7, 2009 at 11:14 pm