Reducing Regional Inequality in Mortality from Road Traffic Injuries through Enforcement of the Mandatory Motorcycle Helmet Law in Taiwan

A mandatory motorcycle helmet law was passed in 1997 in Taiwan. In this study, the authors investigate if this law has reduced the regional inequality in mortality from road traffic injuries (RTIs) across 22 cities and counties. The relative (rate ratio between the city/county with the highest and lowest rate, RR) and absolute (between-group variance, BGV) terms of inequality were calculated for the overall and motorcycle-related RTI mortality rates, the rate of helmet use and other contextual and explanatory factors associated with RTI mortality at the city/county level from 1997 through 2008. The results indicate that BGV of the overall and motorcycle-related RTI mortality rates across the 22 cities/counties steadily decreased from 1997 to 2008. The RR of RTI mortality first increased and then leveled off from 2002 to 2008. The decreasing trend in inequality was most prominent in males under the age of 25. The BGV and RR of the rate of motorcycle helmet use decreased after passage of the law but increased from 2002 onwards. Although passage of the mandatory motorcycle helmet law initially reduced the inequality between regions in RTI mortality, there was a resurgence in regional inequality in the helmet use rate several years after passage of the helmet law. These findings indicate the need for continued monitoring after passage of a motorcycle helmet law to ensure that it is still reducing regional inequality in helmet use and RTI mortality over time.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2011-040135
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13538047
• Authors:
  • Lu, Tsung-Hsueh
  • Lai, Ching-Huei
  • Chiang, Tung-Liang
• Publication Date: 2012-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 150-157
• Serial:
  • Injury Prevention
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
  • ISSN: 1353-8047
  • EISSN: 1475-5785
  • Serial URL: http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Fatalities; Motorcycle crashes; Motorcycle helmets; Motorcyclists; Statistical analysis; Traffic law enforcement
• Uncontrolled Terms: Helmet laws
• Geographic Terms: Taiwan
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01376041
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 20 2012 10:39AM