ITA and TotalEnergies Partner on ‘Helmet 4 Life’ Initiative

The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) has partnered with TotalEnergies on the petroleum entity’s ‘Helmet 4 Life’ initiative, which is intended to distribute certified helmets to motorcyclists and pillion riders islandwide.

Manager for Corporate Communications and Public Relations at the ITA, Dontae Matthews, told JIS News that the undertaking aims to achieve a reduction in road fatalities and serious injuries.

“Under the Helmet 4 Life programme, the ITA has received some 300 helmets, and we have started the distribution in parishes such as Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, especially hotspot areas,” he said.

In addition to those received under the programme, Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, in June, handed over helmets to bikers in St. Ann’s Bay, St. Ann.

“These helmets were purchased by the Government. So we have helmets coming from different places to bolster our efforts to achieve greater compliance with helmet wearing. We have also partnered with the National Helmet

Wearing Coalition, and they too have distributed helmets,” Mr. Matthews informed.

“The partnership has increased with different stakeholders… we have all been working to distribute helmets across the country. Also, the Kiwanis Club is in receipt of helmets from the TotalEnergies Foundation, and they, too, have been distributing helmets. So, it’s a multi-sector approach… a lot of entities have been distributing helmets across the country,” he added.

Mr. Matthews said the helmets provided by TotalEnergies weren’t immediately distributed, as checks had to be made to ensure compliance with the standards outlined in the Road Traffic Act.

The law states that helmets should be of European, United States, British or Japanese standard, and have a sticker indicating such.

“The helmets do meet the regulations; so after that, we started our distribution. In November, we had a distribution drive in Brompton, St. Elizabeth and Petersfield, Little London and Culloden in Westmoreland, and we will be continuing [this distribution],” Mr. Matthews stated.

He underscored the importance of motorcyclists and pillion riders wearing helmets, pointing out that this will serve to cushion any blow they could sustain from a fall or crash.

“The helmet must be a proper size, it must have a protective padding on the inside, it must have a retention strap and, of course, it must be a certified helmet, meaning it meets the safety standards. [If] you fall off a bike, the helmet will protect your head,” Mr. Matthews said.

“It is also important to note that helmets do expire. So persons, when they are wearing a helmet, they should check also for the expiration date that is attached to the helmet. Also, after a crash, the helmet must be changed,” he added.

Mr. Matthews said the response from motorcyclists receiving the helmets has been “really good”.

“In fact, when we distributed in Brompton, we had gotten some information about persons who want helmets, and so we brought helmets for them. When the distribution started, persons were coming over, [after] hearing about the initiative, wanting to get. We were out of helmets on a particular day, and we had to make provisions to get helmets to send back to St. Elizabeth for them,” he stated.

Data from the ITA show that 119 motorcyclists have lost their lives on the nation’s roads since the start of 2024.