Road safety: Ghana’s helmet law must specify standards — Legal Resource Centre

The Legal Resource Centre (LRC) has called for the inclusion of specific standards in Ghana’s helmet wearing law to ensure road users are adequately protected.

This comes amidst increasing concerns about the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets in reducing fatalities during road crashes.

Enock Jengre, Programme Officer at the LRC, highlighted the absence of clearly defined helmet standards in Ghana’s road traffic regulations during a road safety training for selected journalists held in Accra on Thursday, December 19.

According to him, while the law mandates the use of helmets, it falls short of providing detailed specifications to guarantee their protective quality.

“We have a law requiring the use of motorcycle helmets, but it does not outline the standards these helmets must meet,” Mr. Jengre said. “Without a standard, there is no assurance that helmets on the market can truly protect users in the event of a crash.”

Mr. Jengre further revealed that efforts are underway to develop a standardized framework for helmets in Ghana.

A working committee comprising the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Ministry of Transport, the National Road Safety Authority, and the Ghana Standards Authority has been set up to address this gap.

He noted that by the end of 2025, the country should have operational helmet standards if all processes, including public consultations and technical reviews, proceed as planned.

Stakeholders at the event stressed the importance of public awareness in the successful implementation of such standards.

“Journalists have a critical role in educating the public and advocating for the acceptance and use of standardized helmets once they are introduced,” Mr. Jengre added.

Mavis Obeng Mensah of the Bloomberg Initiatives for Global Road Safety Partnership (BIGRS) also emphasized the need for proper enforcement mechanisms to accompany the new standards.

“It’s not enough to have a law. There must be robust enforcement and education campaigns to ensure compliance,” she said.

The training, organized by the LRC in collaboration with Vital Strategies and supported by Bloomberg Initiatives for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), aims to enhance advocacy for improved road safety measures in Ghana, including the passage of comprehensive traffic regulations and the promotion of safer driving practices.