Motorcycles are playing a big part in people’s lives; with increased usage, they are now a symbol of economic empowerment that opens up access to jobs, education, and other opportunities—particularly for those without cars or reliable public transportation. This means that guaranteed access to safe helmets is a basic need which extends well beyond road safety and is integral to achieving the broader Sustainable Development Goals agenda.
Despite the existence of standards in many countries that define quality and safety, there are still complex challenges in ensuring the availability of safe motorcycle helmets globally such as minimal enforcement of the helmet standards, poor compliance with helmet standards, and availability of nonstandard helmets in the market. Not addressing these issues means we are letting people down.
To spotlight these challenges and its solutions, the Alliance launched its helmet white paper with support from Uber, and held a side event on safe and affordable helmets at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech to delve deeper into the messages raised in the white paper. The event brought together advocates and experts from civil society, international organizations, private sector, and government officials. Contributors and panelists include:
Panelists highlighted the need for measuring helmet safety according to defined criteria, gaps in regulating standard helmets and enforcing their use, the need to address the proliferation of counterfeits and how to go about it, and the role of all stakeholders in ensuring helmet safety.
“In simple terms, a safe helmet is one that has been certified to an international or national standard recognized by law and tested by an accredited lab,” says Aggie Krasnolucka.
Panelists stated that a safe helmet must conform to recognized standards—such as UN Regulation 22—and pass rigorous testing by accredited laboratories. According to Rajeev Kapur, “the most important components of a helmet are the shell, visor, EPS foam and chin strap. They have to be perfect to ensure rider safety and should absorb impact and protect the rider during a crash.” Therefore, ensuring their quality should not be a mere formality but pursued rigorously by challenging superficial compliance and demanding that every helmet on the market demonstrates proven safety performance.
“We are implementing helmet detection by requiring drivers to take a photo before starting their ride. This process helps with helmet compliance but not necessarily with the quality of the helmet”, says Kristin Smith.
Panelists highlighted that many regulatory bodies and law enforcement agents currently enforce helmet laws in a manner that often prioritizes the act of wearing a helmet over its quality. The high compliance rate following this kind of enforcement can mask the circulation of substandard or counterfeit helmets. Governments and regulatory agencies must shift from a simplistic compliance model to one that rigorously verifies helmet safety by developing and deploying better monitoring systems, ensuring that the helmets used by riders actually protect them in the event of a crash.
According to Greig Craft, “Just as no country accepts fake vaccines, fake cancer medicine, or fake baby formula, the same applies to helmets. It is essential for governments to enforce the required standards.”
There is an influx of counterfeit helmets especially in low- and middle-income countries driven by poor regulation, weak enforcement of strict quality controls, and lack of transparency in the supply chain. In many cases, counterfeit helmets are more affordable and made to look like the quality ones. Thus, they continue to be used by riders who may not be able to tell the difference, or even when they can, would still go for the counterfeit ones as cost is a crucial factor for them. In some cases, riders are left with no option but to purchase counterfeit helmets as the quality ones may not even be readily available in their countries. Hence, there is a need for tighter regulations, robust testing, and punitive measures against fraudulent practices.
According to Innocent Nzeyimana, “In Rwanda, the government has banned the import of non-compliant helmets and held meetings with suppliers to demonstrate that their helmets fail to meet compliance standards through laboratory testing. This has been acknowledged by suppliers who are now willing to import compliant helmets.”
Dmitry Mariyasin added that “relying solely on imports is costly—local manufacturing must be explored. Investing in local production unlocks access to the best, safest helmets for all.”
In addition to local production of helmets which reduces logistics and regulatory overhead without compromising safety, other strategies to curtail counterfeit helmets highlighted in the discussion include:
Panelists highlighted the need for collaboration among different stakeholders in promoting helmet safety, identifying the distinct role of each stakeholder.
This coordinated effort breaks down silos and creates a network of accountability that actively addresses both supply-side and demand-side issues. Stakeholders should collectively drive reforms by aligning their strategies, sharing expertise, and committing resources to ensure that every helmet meets safety expectations.
