This is why you should ALWAYS wear a helmet! Motorcyclist is saved by his headgear after crashing into the prongs of a forklift at speed
- Man riding a motorised scooter in China had failed to notice the prongs
- He smacked his head on the metal bars hard after riding straight into them
- Because of his helmet, his head did not sustain any injuries, police said
A Chinese motorcyclist has been saved by his helmet after smacking his head onto the prongs of a forklift while riding at speed.
The victim was riding a motorised scooter in eastern China, and crashed straight into the metal bars which had been lifted up.
His head did not sustain any injuries because of the headgear, police said.
The motorcyclist, Li, rides towards the forklift and fails to notice the prongs lifted in midair
The man, who is wearing a helmet, rides straight into the metal bars in Changshu, China
The is knocked off his motorised scooter after being hit by the prongs one after another
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The accident took place around noon on Tuesday in Changshu, a city in Jiangsu Province near Shanghai, according to Changshu Traffic Police.
The forklift had been parked on one side of the road, with its prongs suspended in midair.
It appears that the driver of the forklift was trying to unload goods from a truck, which was parked at the other side of the narrow road.
The motorcyclist, identified as Li, was riding in the middle of the road and failed to notice the prongs.
A handout released by traffic police shows the long and pointy metal parts after the accident
Li sustained minor scratches on his body and no injuries on his head, according to the police
He crashed into the forklift and was knocked off his vehicle.
After witnessing the incident, the forklift driver quickly went back to lower the prongs to the ground.
Li sustained minor scratches on his body and no injuries on his head, according to the police.
The police said they released the video in hope of warning motorcyclists the importance of wearing helmet.
WHO: 260,000 people are killed on the road in China every year
Chinese police inspect a damaged truck and cars after the accident in Lanzhou, China, on November 4, which left at least 15 people killed and 44 injured
Road traffic safety remains one of the top causes of death and a sensitive social issue in China.
Approximately 260,000 people die as a result of road accidents in China each year - in comparison to 1.25 million people worldwide - according to a 2016 report from WHO.
The figure puts China, the world's most populous nation, in the second place worldwide in terms of the number of road deaths per year - after its neighbour India.
China has the highest road deaths involving children in the world.
According to figures released by Chinese state media in 2015, more than 18,500 children under the age of 14 are killed by traffic accident every year in the country.
A lack of road disciplines, poor road conditions in rural areas, light punishment for violators, polluted air and even bystanders' unwillingness to help victims are all potential factors.
WHO's figure is about four times the official number released by the Chinese authority, which claimed that 63,000 people were killed on the road in 2016.
WHO also points out that of the total estimated road deaths in China, around six out of 10 are vulnerable road users including pedestrians, cyclists and people on motorcycles.
