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Effect of the mandatory helmet law in Taiwan

¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Taiwan
² Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Correspondence to:
Dr Hemenway
(e-mail: hemenway{at}hsph.harvard.edu)

Abstract
Objective—To estimate the impact of a mandatory motorcycle helmet law in Taiwan.

Methods—Taiwan passed a mandatory helmet law in June 1997. Data were collected retrospectively from police reports, which include hospital data, to compare six months pre-law (June to November 1996) with the same six months post-law (June to November 1997).

Results—Motorcycle fatalities decreased 14% after the introduction of the helmet law. Head injury fatalities fell 22% while fatalities from injuries to other bodily areas rose 20%. Non-fatal motorcycle injuries fell 31%. Non-fatal head injuries fell 44%; non-fatal injuries to other body parts fell 23%.

Conclusion—This study indicates that large, immediate public health benefits resulted from the mandatory motorcycle helmet law in Taiwan.

Keywords: motorcycle; head injury; helmet law

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