Pumpkinhead

Nigeria- Instead of wearing helmets, as the new law dictates, motorcyclists have been wearing pumpkins on their heads.

Officials in the northern city of Kano said they had stopped several people with "improvised helmets", following this month's introduction of the law.
Road safety officials said calabash-wearers would be prosecuted.

Thousands of motorbikes have been impounded around the country and drivers have staged protests.
Calabashes are dried pumpkin shells more commonly used to carry liquid.

"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," a road safety worker was cited as saying.
And why would people go so far as to put something on their head, but not just buy the stinking helmet?
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 $29 (£20).
They say passengers often steal the helmets once they reach their destination.

Stories have also appeared in the local papers highlighting passengers' fears that the helmets could be used by motorcyclists to cast spells on their clients, making it easy for them to be robbed.

"Some people can put juju inside the helmets and when they are worn the victim can either lose consciousness or be struck dumb," passenger Kolawole Aremu told the Daily Trust newspaper.

Fatal accidents are common. Road safety authorities say almost every collision in Nigeria's cities involves an okada.

More than 4,000 people die on Nigeria's roads every year and 20,000 are injured, according to the Federal Road Safety Commission.