The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety has launched a new white paper on making safe helmets a reality for all, prompting the Global Alliance to plan a side event on making safe helmets a reality for all at the upcoming 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, holding at Marrakech, Morocco, from Monday 17, February, 2025.
A Press release made available to Daily Independent ,reveals that the white paper launched on Thursday, February 13, explores the challenges motorcycle riders face in choosing a safe helmet that they can be confident will protect them, adding that Riders rely on brands and safety certification labels to decide if a helmet is safe
The statement noted that not all helmets meet safety standards however, while some of the nonstandard helmets mimic safe ones using fake safety certification labels or branding.
Unsafe, nonstandard helmets are widely available around the world, and it can be hard for riders to tell the difference, the paper further reveals.
The white paper therefore puts forward systemic actions for governments, NGOs, UN organizations, private sector, and funders toward ensuring that only safe helmets that meet a recognized safety standard are available on the market.
The Release stresses that findings in the white paper are based on a combination of desk research, interviews with international experts and local NGOs, and community consultations with riders in five countries across three continents and will be strengthened with a side event, on Wednesday 19 February 2025, at the Palais de Congres, Marrakech, Morocco during the upcoming 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety.
The side event is tagged; Helmet realities and solutions: making safe helmets a reality for all. The event is free to attend.
For the duration of the Ministerial Conference, the Alliance will have a display of nonstandard and standard helmets from around the world in its booth in the conference exhibition.
Here, visitors can touch and feel the helmets to help visualise some of the challenges faced by riders seeking to identify a safe helmet.
Global experts and NGOs will engage in short head-to-head sessions to examine some of the helmets on display and explore issues in the white paper.
Lotte Brondum, the Alliance’s Executive Director, said: “Motorcycle usage is increasing around the world and safe helmets that meet a recognised standard are essential to making their journeys safe. Governments have primary responsibility for ensuring that every helmet in every country is a safe helmet but NGOs, private sector, UN agencies, and funders must also play their part.
“We are letting people down by allowing unsafe helmets into the market. We are grateful for Uber’s support in building the tools to help local NGOs advocate more effectively and specifically for safe helmets.”
Kristin Smith, Head of Global Road Safety Policy, Uber, said, “At Uber, we’re committed to being a leader in road safety. Safe helmets are a vital piece of protective gear for our drivers and riders worldwide, as well as the communities we serve.
“Extensive global research confirms that quality helmets save lives. That’s why we’re proud to support the Alliance’s advocacy in removing unsafe helmets from circulation—ensuring every rider can trust the protection they wear.”
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance) is the leading voice for road safety civil society, representing 400 members in 100 countries. NGOs have an essential role in helping their governments to achieve the global goals.
They demonstrate the realities of people’s journeys, mobilise communities, advocate for evidence-based solutions, and push for accountability.
The Alliance and its member NGOs will organize a series of events during the Ministerial Conference to amplify civil society’s call for increased commitment and action as follows:
Monday 17 February 2025 11:15–12:00
#CommittoLife call to action and walk and ride. Starting at Moulay Hassan park opposite Menara Mall and finishing at the Palais de Congres
The Alliance and the Global Youth Coalition on Road Safety are organizing a symbolic call to action and walk and cycle in support of UN Global Road Safety Week.
Monday 17 February 2025 12:30–17:30
NGO Symposium, Ambassador’s Auditorium, Palais de Congres
The NGO Symposium, under the theme From commitments to accountability, will include high-level keynote speakers and panelists including Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister for Transport and Logistics, Morocco; Juan Carlos Muñoz Abogabir, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Chile; Jean Todt, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and Etienne Krug, Director of the
Social Determinants of Health, WHO.
Monday 17 February 2025 – Thursday 20 February 2025 08:00–20:00
Alliance boot
Exhibition, Avenue Moulay el Hassan. The Alliance’s booth will include a touch-and-feel display of unsafe nonstandard helmets,
‘Mobility Snapshots’ showing the experience of pedestrians at urban intersections, and a working artist,Yesterman, who will paint a safe mobility-themed artwork in the booth. The booth will feature a programme of live demonstrations and head-to-head discussions that will pair NGOs with experts to highlight regional challenges, advocate for safer alternatives, and promote accountability.
Wednesday 19 February 2025 07:30–08:45
Helmet realities & solutions side event Karam 5, Palais de Congres. This session will explore issues raised in our newly published white paper: Making safe helmets a reality for all. NGOs from Kenya and Nepal will share experiences and a panel of experts will consider the challenges that prevent motorcycle riders being able to find a safe helmet and the systemic solutions to address them.
Wednesday 19 February 2025 11:45–13:15
Commitments & Accountability parallel session Fes 2, Palais de Congres
The Alliance will facilitate a parallel session on commitment and accountability. The panel will feature Nawal El-Moutawakel, Former Minister of Youth, Member of Olympics Committee, Thierno Mamadou Barry, Director General, National Road Safety Agency, Guinea, as well as NGOs, multilateral, and private sector representatives.
Wednesday 19 February 2025 18:00–18:15
Unveiling of the safe mobility artwork Alliance booth
Join us for the unveiling of Yesterman’spainting.
Thursday 20 February 2025 14:00–14:15
Helmet disposal
Alliance booth. he Alliance strongly believes that nonstandard helmets should not be available for use.
Therefore, at the end of the conference, join us as we hand over some of the helmets from our display over for testing in a laboratory and destroy the rest, to ensure they are never used.
Road Safety Expert Proffers Solutions To Fuel Tanker Crashes, Explosions
Mr Jide Owatunmise of the Professional Driving and Safety Academy, in the piece below shares his perspectives on stemming the disturbing number of fuel tanker crashes on Nigerian Roads,.
Sometimes around 2006 during the tenure of Senator Gbenga Daniel as the Executive Governor of Ogun State, a fully loaded fuel Tanker fell near Shagamu Junction and fire erupted instantly, resulting in the death of over 60 people who were burnt beyond recognition. Many vehicles also got burnt.
The grave for the mass burial of the Victims is still at Shahamu junction till today. The incident happened when the Tanker Driver saw a pothole ahead.
He swerved to the left side of the road to avoid the pothole but by the time he turned the steering to the right to continue his movement on the straight road, he lost control because there was a weight or load shift to the left as he tried to return the direction of the fuel Tanker to the right. In a nutshell, centrifugal force overpowered the Tanker, leading to that sad disaster.
There were similar incidents before and after, particularly the recent incidents in Onitsha, Dikko, and Enugu, with blames passed on those scooping fuel responsible for the high number of casualties, however, we need to attention more on the Causes and Prevention of Tanker falls, leading to spillage and the ghostly risk of scooping.
Below are the areas that require urgent attentions and actions to prevent the fall of Tankers and other articulated vehicles:
Education
Research revealed that over 80 per cent of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulatedvehicles in Nigeria did not attend specialisedDriving Schools to attend the Mandatory Theory and Practical Training sessions.
Over 80 per cent of the drivers of fuel tankers and other articulated vehicles do not know all the Road Traffic Signs, Road Markings
Over 90 per cent of the Drivers of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles do not understand all the forces that operate on the Articulated vehicles in motion, particularly, Kinetic Energy, Centrifugal Force and Inertia which are the principal factors responsible for the fall and crash of most of the Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles.
Attitude
Majority of the Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other articulated vehicles know little or nothing about personal energy level management which determines their mental and physical fitness for safe driving. Most of these Drivers lack the right attitudes for safe vehicle handling and road sharing.
Vehicle Dynamics
Every Driver of Fuel Tankers and other Trucks must have deep understanding of the following: the Driving Forces, Friction/Traction, Jack-kniffing, Trailer swinging/tailswinging, Gravity, Vehicle Characteristics, Vehicle Limits, Load Restraints.
Braking System And Brake Management
The Drivers of Fuel Tankers and other Articulated vehicles must deeply understand how the brakes of their vehicles functions, the braking and stopping distance, mathematics of speed in relation to braking, Brake fade and brake failure, Tyre quality and management.
Sudden or violent acceleration, braking or steering can cause severe loss of control. All maneuvering must be carried out smoothly and in good time.
Weak Regulation And Enforcement
Haulage is not a business that anyone can just wake up and enter into without fulfilling some requirements that will enhance the safety of their operations on the roads. A person can buy a Tanker or other articulated vehicle today and put it on the road tomorrow without fulfilling and requirement concerning the owner, vehicle, driver, driver assistant and other health, safety and environment rules.
Some of the drivers are underage, most of the Truck Drivers are not keeping and updating the Driver’s Diary to prevent fatigue.
Read the full article here
