As China's new traffic policy that makes wearing helmets compulsory for electric scooter riders comes into effect on June 1, the price of helmets is expected to rise alongside a helmet supply shortage in the short term.
Helmets which were sold for 30 yuan ($4.22) before April are now sold at prices higher than 80 yuan.
The helmet price increase began after the Chinese Ministry of Public Security on April 21 launched the campaign "one helmet, one belt," which will take effect on June 1, aiming to protect people on the roads by mandating scooter riders to wear helmets and car drivers to fasten their seatbelt.
China already had a policy requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets, but this is the first time Chinese authorities have forced electric scooter riders to follow suit.
A police talks to a scooter rider who did not wear a helmet
According to official data, as of June 2019, there were nearly 250 million electric scooters in China. Taking unregistered scooters into account, that number could be as high as 300 million.