Call made on authorities to ensure helmets at shops meet required standards
KUCHING: The relevant authorities must take necessary action to ensure all motorcycle and bicycle helmets sold at retail outlets and online stores meet the required standards.
In making this call, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and Road Safety Marshal Club of Malaysia (RSMCM) said the people must to exercise caution and only purchase helmets that meet Malaysian or international standards.
In 2005, MMA and RSMCM carried out a study on the quality of motorcycle helmets, and the results showed that all 45 adult helmets passed MS 1:1996 standards, while only one out of five child motorcycle helmets passed the test, said MMA and RSMCM in a joint press statement.
Subsequently, the government developed standards pertaining to children motorcycle helmets.
Last year, MMA and RSMCM bought 20 child motorcycle helmets – 10 from online stores and 10 from retail outlets in Penang and Kedah – and had them tested at Sirim according to current motorcycle standards.
“Miros and Sirim have recently proposed that the newly-developed standards (MS 1-2:2023) would be implemented. Hence, we bought an additional 10 helmets from retail stores and had them tested to these proposed MS 1-1: 2023 standards. We also bought 21 child bicycle helmets – 11 from retail outlets and 10 from online stores – and sent them to Sirim for testing according to current pedal cycle helmet standards MS 1763: 2004.
“During the process of purchasing motorcycle and bicycle helmets, we noted that retailers were generally aware of the standard requirements for child motorcycle helmets, but not for child bicycle
During the process of purchasing motorcycle and bicycle helmets, we noted that retailers were generally aware of the standard requirements for child motorcycle helmets, but not for child bicycle helmets.
— MMA and RSMCM
helmets.
“It was also found that some retailers were unaware of the quality of the helmets that they were selling, while others claimed the helmets met the standards even though they lacked labelling.
“Some of the helmets sold had a QC label, implying that they complied with the standards of the manufacturers. The majority of the bicycle helmets, however, did not have a standards certification label.Some bicycle helmets had acceptable labels of foreign standards like the USCPSC and EU standards, while others are labelled as ‘toy’.
“Furthermore, some of the helmets seemed very flimsy,” said MMA and RSMCM.
According to MMA and RSMCM, of the 10 additional children motorcycle helmets bought from retail outlets and tested according to the proposed MS 1-2: 2023 standards, only five passed.
As for the 11 child bicycle helmets bought from retail outlets and tested according to the MS 1763: 2004 standards, five passed, and six failed.
Moreover, of the 10 bicycle helmets bought from online stores, only three met the MS 1763: 2004 standards, and seven failed.
“The names and brands of the helmets that passed and failed the tests have been submitted to Sirim, where they are kept confidential,” said the statement.
This project was led by Prof Krishnan Rajam from AIMST University, who was assisted by several of its medical students.
MMA and RSMCM said motorcycle and bicycle fatalities constituted nearly two-thirds of the roughly 6,000 road fatalities in the country.
“The use of certified helmets is the single most effective strategy for preventing head injuries among motorcyclists and cyclists,” they stressed.
In Malaysia, motorcycle helmet standards were first introduced in 1969 (MS 1:1969) and further enhanced in 1996 (MS1:1996). The government, however, then accepted both standards for motorcycle helmets.
In 1996, MMA and RSMCM bought 25 adult motorcycle helmets from various retail outlets in Klang Valley and sent them to Sirim for testing according to the MS 1:1996 standards.
Of the 25 helmets tested, 18 failed the enhanced MS 1:1996 standards. In addition to the study, it was found that some manufacturers had used false Sirim labels on the helmets.
The government eventually cancelled the licenses of three manufacturers and insisted that thereafter, all motorcycle helmets must meet the enhanced MS 1:1996 standards.
“There is still a significant proportion of child motorcycle and bicycle helmets that are sold in retail outlets and online stores that do not meet Malaysian standards,” said MMA and RSMCM.