Chapter I

Introduction

Rationale

This study is undertaken to find out whether the selected motorist of Cotabato City are aware
of the RA 10054 or otherwise known as “Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2009” and to prove that using
helmet is can help one lessen the graveness of an accident.Through this study, it will be a great help to
convince others to use their helmet while driving motorcycle.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, in 2008, 5,290 motorcyclists died
and 96,000 were injured. Motorcycles make up ∼3% of all registered vehicles in the United States and
account for only 0.4% of all vehicle miles traveled. However, motorcycle crashes accounted for ∼10% of
all motor vehicle crash fatalities, and per mile traveled, motor cycle crashes are ∼37 times more lethal
than automobile crashes.Head injuries are one of the most common injuries after motorcycle crashes
and were estimated to be the cause of death in >50% of these fatalities. In close to a third of these
victims, the head injury is the sole organ system that is injured. However, in the majority of patients,
estimated as high as 90% of some patient cohorts, a head injury is present along with other injuries.
Despite these facts, it is estimated that only 50% of motorcyclists routinely wear helmets.It was intuitive
even to our earliest ancestors that a hard shell would protect the head from injury. However,
establishing the effectiveness of the motorcycle helmet remains a challenging effort especially in light of
the powerful opposition to universal helmet laws. Furthermore, quantifying the protective effect of
helmets supports the promotion of helmet programs regardless of the controversial nature of legislative
efforts.

In the United States, an increasing recognition that helmet use is associated with reductions in
fatalities without apparent harm increased the implementation of universal helmet laws. In response to
the 1966 Federal Highway Act, which withheld federal funds from states that did not enact a helmet
law, Georgia became the first state to enact a mandatory universal motorcycle helmet law in 1967. By
1975, 47 of the 50 states had universal helmet laws. However, public and political concerns over
individual rights versus public safety opened a new debate. In the following years, political changes
reversed and/or limited previous sanctions and grants that encouraged states to enact universal helmet
laws, which further eroded support for helmet laws. An increasing number of states either repealed
their mandatory laws altogether or significantly reduced the laws to apply only to minors. At present,
only 20 states have universal helmet laws, another 26 states require only partial coverage, and 4 states
have no helmet laws (Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire).
 Road traffic injuries are a major public health problem and a leading cause of death around the
world. In Lao PDR, motorcycles are a common and integral means of transportation, making up 81 % of
the total vehicle population . As a result of the rapid growth in motorcycle use, there are increases in
fatalities and injuries, particularly head injuries, among motorcyclists. Motorcyclists make up
approximately 84 % of the total injured road users and 74 % of road traffic deaths in Lao PDR. Across
Southeast Asia, mortality from road traffic injuries is estimated to be 7.4 deaths per 100,000 children.

to the head and neck are the main cause of severe injury, disability or death among
motorcyclists involved in road accidents; approximately 88 % of motorcycle crash fatalities are due to
head trauma .Proper usage of motorcycle helmets is the single most effective way of preventing head
injuries resulting from motorcycle accidents. On motorcycles, helmets decrease the risk and severity of
injuries by 72 %, decrease the likelihood of death by up to 39 % and reduce the medical costs of injured
riders and length of hospital stay.

Lao law allows a maximum of three riders per motorcycle and states that helmets are
mandatory for all motorcycle riders, with a fine of 30,000 kip (about USD $4) for not wearing a “standard
helmet while driving a motorcycle” However, even with national legislation, the highest officially
recorded helmet-wearing rate in the country’s capital of Vientiane was 76 % in 2008, though recorded
rates have also ranged from 30 to 70 % Regional data on child helmet use rate presents a grimmer
picture. In neighboring Vietnam, child helmet use rates were half the helmet use rates of adults No prior
helmet studies have been conducted in LuangPrabang, Lao PDR, which has experienced a rapid increase
in motorization in recent years.

This project aimed to measure the prevalence of motorcycle helmet use among riders (i.e.,
drivers and passengers) in the city of LuangPrabang, Lao PDR. Of particular interest was information
about child helmet practices as it is common in Southeast Asia for motorcycles to serve as families’
primary mode of transportation. A second objective of the current study was to conduct post-
observation surveys of non-helmet wearing riders to identify reasons for nonhelmet use. The study was
conducted by healthcare professionals at the Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC), a new pediatric
medical center in LuangPrabang that was built in partnership with the Lao PDR Ministry of Health. It was
anticipated that results would help inform broadbased public health interventions that target efforts at
greater awareness and behavior change among families seeking primary care services in the area.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4584470/

The Cotabato City is rampant in vehicular accidents, and is a wellknown road for traveling. They
implemented the Motorcycle Act of 2009 or the R.A 10054 to lessen the graveness of fatality to a victim
when there’s an accident. Specially, that there are young’s drivers that travelling and we can’t ensure
their safety in travelling, so the authorities have taken their action to this matters and strictly
implementing RA 10054 or otherwise known as the “Motorcycle Helmet Act of 2009”.
Research objective

The main objective of the study is determine the awareness level on R.A 10054 (Motorcycle
Helmet act) among selected motoristoris