JIS | Thursday, August 19, 2021

The National Road Safety Council (NRSC) is reporting that 350 motorcyclists have been trained under its Ministry of National Security-sponsored motorbike training programme.

Speaking at a recent Road Safety Lunchtime Session hosted by the Road Safety Unit (RSU) in the Ministry of Transport and Mining, NRSC Executive Director Mrs. Paula Fletcher, explained that since the programme began in August 2020, eight cohorts have been trained.

She said the intervention was bearing fruit among the group and that this has been verified by the Area One police.

“There have been no fatalities that we know of among bikers that have been trained between August 2020 and July 2021, and the area [one] police report that they see an increased use of the wearing of helmets by these bikers,” the NRSC Executive Director said.

Under the programme, 700 helmets were distributed. Each participating motorcyclist received two, one for the driver and one for the pillion. Mrs. Fletcher explained that on day one of the two-day training programme, the drivers’ heads were measured to ensure that they received proper fitting helmets. They were allowed to choose the size for the second one.

The helmets were sponsored by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The FIA is the governing body of motor sport and promotes safe, sustainable and accessible mobility for all road users across the world.

The Executive Director said that some of the motorcyclists were being taken a step further.

“There are approximately 150 bikers who have been put on a path to acquire driver’s licenses. Once they pass the yard test, the police present us with the pass list, and we hand it to the Island Traffic Authority (ITA)” she explained.

Mrs. Fletcher added that persons wishing to go on from that training programme to being certified in driving a motorcycle, “would at least have that component of the training under their belt”.

Additionally, in an activity that is being spearheaded by Heart NSTA, 20 motorcyclists are going through a road code training and reading programme, with a view to advancing to the next level, having already passed the yard test. “So if they go on now to pass the road code test then they are on their way to being licensed”.

The motorcycle training programme was one of the interventions implemented by the NRSC as it seeks to make a significant indentation on the number of lives that have been lost in motorcycle collisions on the nation’s roads.

Mrs. Fletcher explained that with motorcyclists overtaking pedestrian fatalities in 2015, and that trend continuing in 2019, the council met and implemented measures to address the problem.

One solution was to engage a training programme for motorcyclists which would have numerous components including certification standards for bikers, a zero- tolerance plan for motorcyclists to wear helmets, a certification curriculum, motorcycle assembly standards and the development and installation of motorcycle simulators.

The training programme is being funded by the MNS at a cost of $15M under the Ministry’s “Liv Gud” Programme.

Mrs. Fletcher explained that the training is focused on the western end of the island which has been a hotbed for motorbike fatalities.

She pointed out that the intention of the programme is to sensitise bikers on safe road use, helmet safety, use of protective gear, road signs and symbols, basic requirements for motorcycle drivers licensing, basics of the road code and manoeuvrability tests.

Simulators have been installed at Petersfield and at Grange Hill (the training hub), where two repurposed containers have been set up as a training facility.

The NRSC is hailing its partners MNS, Heart NSTA, ITA, JCF, RSU, Insurance Association of Jamaica and the Jamaica Automobile Association.