Myanmar has a growing road safety problem, an issue becoming apparent as its economy gradually improves. The gain in prosperity in the country has seen a growth in vehicle numbers from 4 million in 2013 to 6 million in 2016. Small capacity motorcycles are becoming particularly popular, as in many of Myanmar’s neighbouring Asian nations. There were 17,834 reported vehicle crashes in Myanmar during 2016, 8,641 of which involved motorcycles. There were 4,887 road deaths in 2016, of which 2,093 were motorcyclists. Of the country’s traffic fatalities, 48% were riding motorcycles.
But following on from the road safety lead in Asia being set by Vietnam, Myanmar is now looking to increase use of helmets amongst motorcyclists. Since Vietnam made helmet use mandatory for motorcycle riders, there has been a corresponding drop in the overall road fatality rate, showing how basic safety measures can have significant benefits. Myanmar’s National Road Safety Council is asking the Commerce Ministry to require two helmets to be sold with every new motorcycle.
