Cops team up with foundations to bolster safety among bike riders
Published:Monday | June 23, 2025 | 12:09 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer
With motorcycle deaths in Jamaica continuing at an alarming rate, especially among young men, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the JN Foundation, and the FIA Foundation have come together to strengthen helmet enforcement and rider safety through extensive training and community outreach.
The three entities signed a two-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the AC Hotel in St Andrew on Friday during a regional forum hosted by the National Helmet Wearing Coalition with support from the National Road Safety Council and FIA motor clubs in the Caribbean with experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
“This is more than a procedural step,” declared Parris Lyew-Ayee, chairman of the JN Foundation. “It is a powerful statement which says that we are united in our commitment to protecting lives, strengthening communities, and building a safer Jamaica.”
The partnership will support a training programme for the JCF and encourage the proper enforcement of helmet laws. This move comes along with startling statistics which show that more than 100 people die annually in motorcycle crashes across the island, with over 70 per cent of victims found not wearing helmets.
PARISHES LEADING IN FATALITIES
In 2025, four parishes, including Westmoreland, St Andrew, Hanover and St James, have accounted for 57 per cent of all motorcycle fatalities, with the leading parish being Westmoreland. The same four parishes last year accounted for 41 per cent of fatalities.
Dave Cliff, CEO of the Global Road Safety Partnership, called for more urgency to be placed on this matter.
Cliff emphasised the global scale of the problem and the importance of enforcement, especially as an international partner.
“People often think that culture change comes first, then behaviour follows,” he said. “But what we know is that by enacting good law, enforcing it rigorously, and supporting it with high-profile public awareness campaigns, we have to force a behaviour change.”
He warned that global motorcycle deaths could possibly rise by a concerning 60,000 annually by the end of the century if the current trends continue.
However, Jamaica’s reality is just as concerning.
According to Delroy Simpson, chief technical director in the Ministry of National Security, “Motorcycle fatalities accounted for just over 30 per cent of all road user deaths in 2024.”
Simpson noted a slight decline in 2025, down by 21 per cent in the first five months but stressed that the numbers remain unacceptably high.
Most of the victims are men between 20 and 29 years old but noncompliance was highest among teens with 92 per cent. He also revealed that the Government has acquired 2,000 certified helmets as part of a national plan to distribute 10,000 free helmets, focusing on high-risk communities.
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Gary McKenzie, head of the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB), recalled his own near-death experiences while riding. In one incident on the May Pen bridge, he slid off his motorcycle in the rain and slammed into a railing.
“Only thing I heard was something like a gunshot but it was actually the helmet hitting against the rail,” he said. “I was unconscious for maybe about 30 seconds… . If I wasn’t wearing that helmet, I would’ve died.”
He shared another moment when a wrecker nearly crushed his head.
“As I pulled my head, the tire crunched the helmet as it passed. These kinds of things… I am here to say that wearing a helmet while driving motorcycle is quite critical.”
Lyew-Ayee also emphasised how so many have to face the harsh reality after surviving an accident.
“Spinal injuries, brain trauma, amputation... . These outcomes rob individuals of independence, place an emotional and financial burden on families, and impose an ever-growing strain on the public health system.”
With the Government’s legislative amendments under the Road Traffic Act, the fine for not wearing a helmet was raised from $500 to $5,000 and requiring a proper motorcycle driver’s licence rather than just a learner’s permit.
Meanwhile, enforcement is being strengthened through the $1.1-billion electronic ticketing system which showed that, in just the first half of 2025, over 348,000 traffic tickets for motorcycle riders were issued which is 42 per cent more than the same time period in 2024.
However. McKenzie noted that, despite these efforts, there will always be a need for more enforcement and legislation.
“Road safety cannot be reduced to infrastructure and enforcement alone. It requires prevention, partnership, and people-centred solutions,” Lyew-Ayee said.
Meanwhile, Simpson emphasised the need for certified helmets and consistent education.
“We must explore how to better align our legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms to promote consistent helmet use,” he said. “Together, we can turn the tide against preventable road fatalities and injuries.”