Target 7 Evaluation: The Urgent Need for Helmet Safety Reform in the Mano River Union

Motorcycle usage across West Africa has surged over the past two decades, becoming an essential mode of transport for urban commuters, rural populations, and last-mile deliveries. In the Mano River Union (MRU) countries—Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire—motorcycles serve as both economic lifelines and dangerous liabilities. While their proliferation has improved mobility and economic participation, it has also coincided with a devastating rise in injuries and deaths, many of which are preventable with one simple intervention: the use of certified, properly fastened helmets

Target 7 of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030) sets a clear benchmark: “By 2030, increase the proportion of motorcycle riders correctly using standard helmets to close to 100%.” Yet, as RSAI’s latest evaluation shows, the MRU countries remain alarmingly far from this target, due primarily to fragmented legislation, poor enforcement, low public awareness, and absence of behavioural accountability.

Helmet Safety Laws: Present on Paper, Weak in Practice

Our evaluation assessed six primary indicators: the existence of national helmet laws, whether those laws apply to both drivers and passengers, the specification of helmet standards and fastening requirements, and the presence of targets or campaigns to increase usage. Here's what the data reveal:

Country Helmet Law Covers All Riders & Passengers Helmet Fastening Required Helmet Standards Specified Enforcement/Compliance Helmet Use Target
Liberia ❌ No ⚠️ In practice, on few roads ❌ No ❌ No ⚠️ Weak enforcement ❌ No
Sierra Leone ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Standard required ⚠️ Limited compliance ✅ Yes (2030)
Guinea ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Standard required ❌ Rare enforcement ✅ Yes (2030)
Côte d’Ivoire ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Standard required ✅ Active campaigns/enforcement ✅ Yes (2030)

Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone have enacted helmet legislation that meets many of the technical criteria. Their laws apply to both riders and passengers, cover all road and engine types, and refer to standard helmet specifications. However, none of the three require riders to fasten helmets—a loophole that severely undermines the effectiveness of helmet use, as unfastened helmets offer little to no protection in a crash. Liberia lags furthest behind with no helmet law at all and zero targets to increase usage.

The Cost of Inaction

Across MRU countries, motorcycle-related trauma continues to rise, particularly among young male riders and passengers. According to WHO data, helmet use can reduce the risk of death by 42% and head injury by 69%. Yet in regions where enforcement is low and helmets are improperly used or non-standard, these protections are unrealized.

In Côte d’Ivoire, RSAI field reports show that even where laws exist, many helmets are either ornamental or poorly constructed, with riders often removing them to avoid police checkpoints and putting them back on afterward. In Sierra Leone and Guinea, low-income communities still perceive helmets as an unnecessary burden—financially and socially. Meanwhile, in Liberia, riders operate in an environment where helmet use is almost entirely voluntary, except on two main corridors with the capital city Monrovia.

The Way Forward

To close the glaring helmet safety gap, MRU governments must act decisively and collectively. RSAI recommends the following:

  • Liberia should enact national helmet legislation, including mandatory use and fastening, and launch a public awareness campaign that frames helmet use as lifesaving.
  • Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire should strengthen their laws by requiring fastening, certifying helmet standards, and enforcing compliance at scale through police and community partnerships.
  • All countries must adopt measurable helmet use targets, invest in behavior-change campaigns, and subsidize access to certified helmets, particularly for low-income riders.
  • ECOWAS and the MRU Secretariat should support harmonized helmet standards and cross-border enforcement protocols to stop the flow of substandard helmets across national lines.

As we cross the midpoint of the UN Decade of Action, the path to Target 7 remains long—but the roadmap is clear. A helmet may seem like a simple object, but it is a powerful tool of survival. The journey toward 100% helmet use starts with leadership, legislation, and the courage to prioritize life above convenience.

Because no one should lose their life for lack of a strap and a shell.