Correct use of helmets by motorcycle riders has been found to be as low as 33 percent among riders in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.
That’s one of the results of a research by the John Hopkins International Injury Research Unit.
This came up during the Bloomberg Road Safety workshop in Kumasi.
The research, which took place between November 2020 and May 2022 in Kumasi, sought to observe risk factors such as speed, helmet use and seat belt and child restraint.
It was conducted through roadside observations.
In all, four rounds of speed observations were made.
The researchers also found that helmet use was more common among passengers of ride-sharers compared to other types of motorcycle riders.
Again, motorcyclists were observed to be twice likely to wear helmets in the presence of both Police and enforcement cameras, compared with when these elements are absent.
Also, motorcyclists were found to be three times more likely to wear helmets correctly when on arterial roads, compared to occupants on local and collector roads.
The Principal Investigator, Ing. Francis Afukaar of the Building and Road Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-BRRI) recommended enhanced enforcement of helmet use among all motorcyclists.
“We want to urge the KMA and National Road Safety Authority to implement mass media campaigns about helmet use and include messages targeting passengers.
“There should be coordination of mass media campaigns and I will call for amended helmet use legislation to address globally recommended helmet standards,” he added.
The research was funded by Bloomberg philanthropies Initiative for Global Safety.