KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Half-shell helmets will soon be banned - because they do not offer adequate protection for motorcyclists.

Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh said the necessary laws were being drafted for the ban.

"We are going to ban and confiscate them. They are not suitable for riding motorcycles," he said.

Suret Singh said the helmets - also known as the 'tortoise' or 'turtle' helmets because its bowl shape resembles the shell of the animals - did not meet the safety standards.

He said the proposal would include seizing the helmets from the shelves of retailers.

"These people are smart. Malaysians don't read labels, and retailers place 'Not motorcycle helmet' on the label and continue selling.

"They tell us it is a toy helmet. There is no such thing as a toy helmet. A helmet is a helmet." he said.

Suret Singh also urged motorcyclists to change their helmets at least once every five years, as the material in the shell deteriorates over time.

"Look at the manufacturing date when buying helmets," he said, adding that helmets that had endured impact or had been dropped should be replaced even more frequently.

Since the helmet-wearing awareness campaign kicked off in December 2006, Suret Singh said some 50,000 helmets had been given out, with almost 20,000 defective or old helmets collected in exchange.

"The helmet-wearing rate in rural areas had increased from 40% to 90%," he said.

Next year, Suret Singh said the Road Safety Department, together with Rotary Damansara and the Automobile Association of Malaysia, would be distributing child safety seats.

He said baby, child and booster seats were important in minimising the injury sustained to child passengers in the event of an injury.

"Baby seats are meant for those under one year, child seats for children between one and five years, and booster seats for children between five and 10," he said.

Suret Singh was speaking to reporters after the soft launch of the Malaysia International Road Safety Exhibition (Mirex).