ALTHOUGH happy to be recipients of thousands of dollars in cash prizes having placed highly in the JN Foundation’s Motorcycle Helmet Safety Photo Advocacy & Visual Arts Competition, a group of teenage students expressed that it was more of an honour to have participated in an important national initiative geared towards saving lives.

The awards ceremony for the competition was held last Thursday at the Office of the Commissioner of Police on Old Hope Road in St Andrew.

After receiving their cash prizes, plaques and congratulatory certificates, a few of the students told the
Jamaica Observer that their hope is for their photographs to be used to achieve behaviour change among motorcyclists who are not in the habit of wearing helmets and safety gears.

Based on national statistics, motorcyclists account for a large number of road deaths. Data from the Ministry of Transport and the Jamaica Constabulary Force shows that since 2012, more than 1,400 motorcyclists have been killed on our roads. These road deaths accounted for 30 per cent of total fatalities caused by crashes in Jamaica over the period. The data also showed that 80 per cent of bikers who died in crashes were not wearing helmets.

Due to the alarming increase in fatalities, the JN Foundation, the FIA Foundation and the National Road Safety Council signed an agreement in August 2023 to establish the three-year National Helmet Wearing Project.

Joel Davis, the winner of the People’s Choice Award in the Photo Advocacy Competition, was awarded $250,000 for his photograph entitled ‘Adrenalin Rush’. The photograph depicts a motorcyclist wearing a helmet and driving at high speed on a highway. The 18-year-old was not a big speaker like the second-place and third-place winners, but shared with the Observer that he was very humbled by the win. He thanked God for it, “because without Him, nothing is possible”.

Eighteen-year-old Geraldo McGowan, a sixth-form student of Ardenne High School, placed second for his entry titled ‘Staying Safe for Them’, which depicts a father wearing a helmet while being hugged by his child. He received a cash prize of $100,000.

“I feel very happy that I was able to express awareness of helmet safety on the road through photo advocacy. I am glad people could understand the story through my photograph and I wish to continue to spread awareness through photography,” he said.

“My image depicted a father wearing a helmet and the theme was ‘Staying Safe for Them’, demonstrating that you are not just staying safe for yourself but for the kids as well.”

He shared that he started doing photography nine months ago and has learned a lot about using photographs to tell a story.

“I like acting and film. I wanted to buy a camera to start but the camera I bought didn’t have good video quality. I started to see how else I could tell a story, so I started taking photos with it and I saw that I had a knack for it and therefore started learning more. My sister [told me about] this competition and through that and talking with [Jamaican documentary photographer Radcliffe “Ruddy” Roye], I learned a lot about photography and how I could use it to tell a story.“

His sister, Ashara McGowan, who was proud of her brother’s achievement, said she was in full support of the competition and what it aims to accomplish.

“I support the competition 100 per cent. A few years back we lost a cousin [to a motor bike accident]. He wasn’t wearing any helmet or protection. That was about three years ago. I am always happy to support things that will be fruitful to our future generations. I know how it is on the road. That is why I am here supporting the movement.“

She added: “My best friend sent the advertisement to me. I knew my brother loved doing photography so I forwarded it to him and told him to try. My hopes for him is just to have him do whatever he loves, chase his dreams, and I will support him in whatever those dreams are, 100 per cent.“

Third place went to Shamonique Dawkins and her schoolmate Gabryella McNamee, both 18 years old and sixth form students at Wolmer’s Girls’.

They received $50,000 for their entry titled ‘At least My Head Is Safe’, which depicts a child mimicking his father by wearing his helmet.

“While this might be considered to be just a photograph, it is actually much more than that. If you look at the stories behind the photographs, it has real meaning. It shows real people, the stories that they have, their lives, and how important it is to make a change,“ Dawkins said. ”Our mission is to get road deaths under 300. It is just unfortunate that for the first five days of February, we had three people dying from motorcycle crashes. It just further shows us how important what we are doing is. These photographs, people will see it and think, ‘wow, it is time to do better’.“

McNamee pointed out that the idea behind their entry was to create an impact on fathers who drive motorcycles.

“Many of the people who cycle without helmets are fathers themselves. You may be lucky now, but you may not be lucky all the time, so it’s better to protect yourself now and I think that is something people should recognise in these photos. You may pass death’s door now but something greater can happen in the future. People who love and care for you will be disheartened and their lives will be ruined as well,” she said.

The big winner in the visual arts category was 10-year-old Zayir Meeks.

He won for his colourful design of a helmet on paper.

His father, Ryan Meeks, said he was very excited that his son was a part of such a potentially impactful competition.

“It is an honour to know that he was a part of something bigger than just an art project. It is a part of protecting our nation and people and just having fun while doing it. He had fun while doing it because he loves art. The sky is the limit. I don’t put a limit on what he can do. I think he is very artistic. I see the passion when he draws, paints, and does anything art-related at school. They gave him an outline of a helmet and he was supposed to design it and put on whatever patterns you wanted,” he said.

Parris Lyew-Ayee, chairman of the JN Foundation, said that the awards ceremony was not only to celebrate artistic excellence, but also to affirm a collective commitment to a safer Jamaica.

“Particularly amongst our motorcyclists and young men who remain the most vulnerable on our roads, road safety is a critical concern for our nation. The statistics on motorcycle-related crashes and fatalities are deeply troubling. The interesting thing is that these tragedies are preventable. At the JN Foundation, we firmly believe awareness, education and strong advocacy are pivotal in driving change.”