Thread by @TelGlobalHealth

🏍️Motorbikes are growing in popularity globally, but helmets are not. And without them, riders - and passengers - are vulnerable

@jriggers & @_Will_Brown explain how a $20 helmet could save thousands of lives
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…

Globally, motorbike crashes kill around 380,000 people annually, according to the WHO’s Global Road Safety Status Report from 2018.

Young people are particularly badly affected: road traffic deaths are the leading cause of death among five to 29 year olds around the world

The dangers are even more acute in countries where bikes have boomed in recent decades: in Thailand and Laos, for example, motorbikes are involved in an astonishing 74% of fatal accidents

Now there are fears that other regions will catch up with these grim tolls, as motorbikes - the cheapest and most accessible form of motorised transport - gain in popularity

However, @TransaidOrg has a solution.

The global transport NGO is working with the Kenyan government, the private sector, boda boda associations and the FIA Foundation - an international road safety charity - in a bid to stop the high death rates

This week, they set up the National Helmet Coalition and also launched a new, affordable helmet that is designed for use in hotter countries because it is more breathable.

The helmet will cost $20 (£14), less than half the current average price

Recent studies have found that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of death in a motorbike crash by 42% and the risk of head injuries by 69%

But getting helmets on heads is just the start, experts say...

@jriggers & @_Will_Brown have more below
telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…