A Nigerian solution.... (from today's Daily Telegraph) Nigerian motorcyclists have been wearing dried pumpkin shells after new laws were brought in forcing them to wear helmets. By Ben Leach Last Updated: 8:02AM GMT 07 Jan 2009 In Kano, a city in the north of the country, police said they had stopped several bikers with "improvised helmets" after the law was introduced on New Year's Day. Drivers across the country have staged protests after police impounded thousands of motorbikes because their owners were not wearing the appropriate headgear. Road safety officials have warned that people wearing calabashes, dried pumpkin shells more commonly used to carry liquid, would be prosecuted. Yusuf Garba, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) commander for Kano, said fifty motorbikes had already been seized in his city alone. He said: "We are impounding their bikes and want to take them to court so they can explain why they think wearing a calabash is good enough for their safety." Motorcycle taxis are a cheap way for Nigerians to get around congested and chaotic city streets and many drivers are furious about the new law. In the city of Kaduna, drivers waved palm fronds and rode in convoy to protest at the price of helmets, which can cost up to ?20. The vast number of motorcyle taxis on city streets, coupled with their often untrained and illiterate drivers, has also fuelled concerns over road safety. Road safety authorities say that they are responsible for the majority of road collisions in the country's cities. More than 4,000 people die on Nigeria's roads every year and 20,000 are injured, according to the FRSC.
