To avoid the helmet law – in effect New Year's Day – okada (motorcycle taxi) drivers in Nigeria wear calabash (dried pumpkin) helmets to fool police. Helmets cost around $25 and are very much out of the price range of the drivers. Passengers say that they fear the motorcycle taxi drivers might use helmets to cast spells on their clients, making it easy for them to be robbed.
Read the BBC news article.
On a personal note, when I biked through West Africa in 93/94 I encountered even very educated people who wore juju belts, and everyone drove like maniacs. I only went to Dakar and Abdijan to deal with visa requirements, and got out as quickly as possible. Other than that, West Africa remains my favorite travel destination.
(Thanks to my friend Lori for pointing me to this BBC report.)
