“HELMET – IF YOU LOVE’’ program at Horana

Under the UN Decade of Action 2021 – 2030 in Sri Lanka, the Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) is currently conducting Road Safety Programmes, especially among schools in the rural areas, aimed at impressing on elders and children the advisability of wearing helmets while riding two-wheeler vehicles.

During the last weekend such programmes to educate children, parents, teachers, motorcyclists and many others in the Horana area of the importance of wearing helmets were conducted. The safety of children was a prime focus.

Police officers from Traffic Headquarters conducted lectures and demonstrations on the importance of children in particular wearing helmets when they travel with their parents and elders on two-wheelers.

The purpose of this project by the Association is to curtail the fatalities and injuries suffered by motorcyclists and pillion riders. In 2022, it was recorded that there had been 806 deaths among motorcyclists, of which 411 deaths were those of below the age of 18 years. Disabilities amounted to 5,133.

Traffic Police officers of Horana, assisted the Automobile Association by collecting the required data from among children who attend schools in the area but who do not wear helmets when they travel on the motorcycles.

Ananda Dangalla – Vice President & Devapriya Hettiarachchi- Secretary of the Automobile Association of Ceylon together with the OIC Panawala Police Station, Horana, and Dayal Kariyawasam of the Traffic Police headquarters attended the events. A helmets handing over ceremony was held at the police station, Horana and many schoolchildren of the area and their parents attended the function. Fifty children who do not wear helmets but who travel with their parents on motorcycles were selected by the Traffic Police – Horana for the purpose of donating helmets. (AAC)