Toma de análisis del suelo y análisis del resultado

In the Traffic Act, the inserted section 103B states that, motorcycle operators / rider must put on a helmet. This study found that 2.43% of the respondents reported never used helmets, 34.32% always used helmets and the majority at

62.98% sometimes used helmets.Figure 7 indicates the percentage frequency of

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Source: Field data (2012)

Figure 7: Percentage Frequency of Helmet Use by Riders

Similar to passengers’ helmet use, the use of the same among riders was low. Some reasons given for non – use of helmets by riders and riders only FGD participants were that helmets were inconveniencing because they cover the ears and one was not able to hear well. The helmets were also reported to be uncomfortable. They were hot and hindered them from seeing properly. Some respondents’ gave reasons, such as helmets being expensive to purchase. It was noted that riders avoided use of helmets for short distance. They claimed that nothing would happen to them because they were just taking a short distance. They did not expect to be involved in an accident in short distances. This brings in the question of risk perception, how do these riders perceive risk for short

9 233 127 1 0 50 100 150 200 250

Not at all Sometimes Always No response

P e rc e n ta g e

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boda boda trips? According to Swidler (1986) as cited in Factor, Mahalel, &

Yair (2008), social and cultural variables may influence action through shaping a behaviour repertoire. In this case road safety actions could be influenced leading to motorcycle accidents. Given that societies include varied groups that could be ethnic or socio-economic groups there is variation in behaviour and this may have some influence on behaviour. One may then assume that different social groups have different levels of risk taking while driving/riding (Factor et al., 2008).

It is possible in hot weather for helmets to be uncomfortable. Kisumu East sub- county is characterized by high temperatures. Therefore, most of the days are hot. The general discomfort could also be attributed to the quality of the helmets, because in Kenya, the law does not give requirements for specific helmet standards. Poor quality helmets that are not worn properly may be uncomfortable. As indicated earlier, one interesting observation made in this study was that riders did not use helmets while going for short distances. The riders reasoned that nothing would happen to them while on short trips.

The findings of this study are consistent with finding from other studies done in other countries. Hurt et al., (1981) observe that, voluntary safety helmet use by those motorcycle riders involved in accidents was lowest for untrained, uneducated and young motorcycle riders on hot days and short trips. This partly reflects the situation in Kisumu East sub-county. In another study on motorcycle helmet use among adolescents in Greece, Germeni et al., (2009)

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observe that among helmet users, the perceived benefit of helmet use was protection in the case of an accident, while among non – users the benefit was avoiding arrests and fines from traffic police. The barriers to helmet use as identified by non users included: low perceived efficacy of helmets; lack of appropriate information on helmet use; high helmet cost; lack of convenience; vision and hearing and disturbance. The problem of wrong information or no information on helmet use is not specific to Kisumu East sub-county, as is evident. The findings from Germeni et al., (2009) study are similar to the findings from the current study. The Germeni et al., (2009) study concluded that when social norms of low compliance to safety laws prevail, qualitative research can assist in developing tailored educational interventions targeting behaviour modification among adolescents.

It is important for riders to wear helmets whenever they are riding. According to Solagberu et al., (2006) who studied motorcycle injuries and the vulnerability of riders, passengers, and pedestrians at a Nigerian university hospital, none of the motorcyclist accident victims brought over a 12 month period had been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. For the eight patients who died, seven had

head injuries due to lack of helmet to protect the head from injuries. Lindskog

& Al Haji (2005) in a study on road safety in Southeast Asia observe that the risks of motorcyclists not using helmets are much higher than those wearing helmets.

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Motorcycles do not offer much protection to the riders, thus helmets are required for people riding motorcycles. As in the case of Kenya, helmet laws are not enforced in many ASEAN countries despite laws making wearing of helmets compulsory across the region. Only 3% of Vietnamese motorcycle riders use helmets. In Indonesia, motorcycle passengers rarely wear helmets in rural areas. In other countries like Malaysia and Singapore, there are a high percentage of motorbike riders who wear helmets. The introduction of helmet use has led to a significant reduction in motorcycle deaths in both countries (Lindskog & Al Haji, 2005). Helmet use should therefore be encouraged in Kisumu East sub-county through education, legislation, publicity campaigns

and law enforcement. Helmet‐wearing rates increase by 90% when laws are

enforced effectively (WHO, 2009). Plate 4 shows riders waiting for passengers at a street in Kisumu town.

Photo taken by author (March 2012)

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Note: Ben is one of the boda boda motorcycle riders in Kisumu town. He did not have a helmet or a reflective jacket. The author also observed the same among most of the riders at this assembly point.

It is evident that there is low level of motorcycle safety knowledge, this is in regard to safety measures, overloading, helmet use and boda boda speed. In

addition, there is a gap in as far as what the speed of boda boda motorcycles

should be. There is need therefore to ensure safety knowledge is disseminated to the riders and the public (potential passengers) in order to reduce motorcycle related accidents.