Caught without a helmet? Join safety squad instead of facing charges

…as GPF, Road Safety Council new initiative aims to train 2000 youth volunteers

In a new approach to road safety, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana National Road Safety Council (NRSC) have announced an initiative that allows motorcyclists caught without helmets to opt into a volunteer training programme instead of facing charges.
Coordinator at the National Road Safety Council, Romona Doorgen, revealed the strategy during a broadcast of “Road Safety and You”. The programme is part of a wider series of campaigns being launched by the NRSC in partnership with the Home Affairs Ministry and the GPF’s Traffic Department.

“We’re asking that the police, when the Ministry will give us, I think we’ve got 2,000 helmets coming, full-face helmets, and when the Ministry gave the helmets to the different divisions, we’re expecting… when you get the person who is not wearing the helmet, inspectors will say to them, okay, you’re going to be charged for the minor offence, or you can join the volunteers group,” Doorgen said.
The initiative forms part of a nationwide campaign aimed at training and empowering youth through road safety education. According to Doorgen, the campaign includes five key focus areas, one of which specifically targets motorcyclists.
“Our priority is the motorcyclists, the pedestrians and… I think we’re doing one for the trucks also, because our stats are showing those are the vulnerable groups.”
Through the campaign, the Council hopes to enlist 2,000 vibrant young volunteers across the country, particularly those preparing for their theoretical driving tests. These individuals will receive training to become peer educators and safety advocates.
“We want to bring you, train you, make you trainers and let them be the trainers of the trainers,” she said. “So we get them to train, train, and even advocate for safety for that group of persons.” Doorgen emphasised the collaborative nature of the project and the Council’s goal of reaching deeper into communities.
“We’re working with the police force, the police traffic department closely with that programme… So it’s going to be some vibrant campaigns, we can’t wait to get them on the ground.”