Helmets: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-makers and Practitioners

Based on recommendations of the 2004 World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention, the World Health Organization, the Global Road Safety Partnership, the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, and the World Bank have collaborated to produce a series of manuals on road safety initiatives meant to be used by policy-makers and practitioners. This manual is one of them.

The purpose of this manual is to provide advice on how to increase the use of helmets within a country. The manual draws on experience from countries that have succeeded in achieving and sustaining high levels of helmet use. It provides evidence that may be needed to start a helmet use programme, and takes the user through the steps needed to assess the helmet situation in a country. It then explains the steps needed to design and implement a helmet use programme, including: setting up a working group; developing an action plan; introducing and enforcing mandatory helmet laws; creating appropriate standards for helmet production; effectively marketing helmets to the public; educating children and young people on helmet use; and consideration of the capacity for an appropriate medical response to be provided following a crash. Finally, the last section in the manual guides the user on planning and implementing an evaluation of the programme so that results are fed back into programme design. For each of these activities, the document outlines the various practical steps that need to be taken.