A World Health Organisation initiative to promote motorcycle and bicycle helmet use has been relaunched with support from the FIA Foundation.
A new website for the WHO Helmet Initiative will act as an information and campaigns resource to encourage greater use of helmets around the world. Helmets have been shown to reduce risk of death or serious injury for motorcyclists by 20-45% and the risk of serious brain injury for bicyclists by 47-88%. Yet in countries where there is no law requiring helmet use wearing rates range from only 10 – 50%. The Helmet Initiative website will provide best practice examples, legal and technical information and news to governments and road safety campaigners, and was supported by the FIA Foundation as part of its ongoing financial support to the WHO Strategy for Road Traffic Injury Prevention in low and middle income countries. View the WHO Helmet Initiative website at www.whohelmets.org