Olakulehin O.A Adeomi A.A Babalola O.R Olanipekun O.O Ilori O.S
The use of helmet by motorcyclists is importan t in preventing both fatal and non-fatal injuries sustained during crashes. The study was designed to determine the prevalence of use of crash helmets among the motorcycle riders in Ogbomoso and Osogbo in the South- Western part of Nigeria. It also considered various factors that influenced the use of crash helmet by motorcyclists and their passengers/pillion riders. A cross-sectional survey usi ng a direct observation of motorcycle riders was used in this study. A total of two thousand and seventy two (2072) motorcycles were observed during the period of study. 2069 (99.9%) of the participants were male, while the remaining 3 (0.1%) were female. Results revealed the overall prevalence of helmet use to be 89 (4.3%) among the riders and 17 (1.4%) among the pillion rider. There were significant associations between the use of helmet and the age, sex and the motorcycle engine size. We concluded that poor compliance with the use of helmets among motorcyclists exists, hence, the need to enforce law on use of helmet and educational programs such as media enlightenment should be intensified in order to enhance the use of helmet.
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