JCF Receives Support to Strengthen Motorcycle Safety

The capacity of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to improve motorcycle safety is being bolstered under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JN Foundation, Global Road Safety Partnership and FIA Foundation.

The signing took place during the recent National Helmet Wearing Coalition (NHWC) Regional ‘Heads Up’ Think Tank held at the AC Hotel by Marriott in Kingston.

Under the two-year agreement, members of the JCF will benefit from training and other support to ensure more effective monitoring and enforcement of the motorcycle helmet laws, which mandate the use of the protective gear by motorcycle drivers and passengers.

The initiative emphasises the importance of public education and community outreach to promote behaviour change among riders towards consistent and correct helmet use.

The MOU represents a multi-agency, people-centred approach to stem Jamaica’s motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities.

Head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dr. Gary McKenzie, emphasised the gravity of the issue and expressed optimism that the partnership will save lives.

He noted that more than 100 motorcyclists have died in crashes over the past five years, with over 75 per cent of the fatalities due to head injuries.

“Based on international research, helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 69 per cent and the risk of death by up to 37 per cent,” Dr. McKenzie pointed out, recounting his own motorcycle crash experience, where a helmet saved him from serious brain injury or death.

He welcomed the focus of the MOU on public education, noting that while the police will continue to do its work around enforcement “lasting change will only come when every Jamaican understands the importance of helmet safety”.

Chairman of JN Foundation, Parris Lyew-Ayee, hailed the partnership as a bold and necessary step in saving lives and changing outcomes.

He noted that the initiative builds on previous successes like the ‘Road Safety Hub’ programme, which combines real-time data, community outreach, and evidence-based policymaking.

Mr. Lyew-Ayee emphasised that road crashes have lasting impacts beyond fatalities, often leaving survivors with permanent disabilities, and affecting families and the healthcare system.

He said that road safety goes beyond infrastructure and enforcement also involving human connection, mutual trust, and collective responsibility.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Road Safety Partnership, Dave Cliff, framed the initiative within the global context of rising motorcycle sales and injuries.
“If nothing changes… we estimate that deaths among motorcyclists could rise by approximately 60,000 per year globally,” he warned.

He argued that by enacting and enforcing good laws and supporting them with strong public education “behaviour changes, and culture follows”.