In a bid to drive home the pertinent message of the importance of helmets for ensuring safety while riding a two-wheeler, Suzuki Motorcycle India today kicked off a nationwide campaign – 'Helmet For Life’ – wherein the company plans to give away helmets to riders, starting with Delhi-NCR.

The company's CSR initiative aims to spread awareness on the use of helmets and it is deploying a compassionate approach where traffic police cops and Suzuki volunteers stationed at 5-6 hand-picked traffic signals in 12 cities across will talk to riders who are caught not wearing a helmet. Along with issuing a violation ticket, they will purposefully guide them on adopting the safer practice for their own safety on the road; then promptly hand the rider a free helmet and send them on their way.

Suzuki Motorcycle India will distribute 1,000 helmets in each of the cities on its list. The activity will be carried out in Gurgaon, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Lucknow, up until the end of July.

In addition to the helmets, the bike manufacturer will also provide a total of 60 customised Suzuki Gixxer SF motorcycles (5 each) to every city's traffic police department. These bikes will be kitted-out with a siren, red-and-blue beacons, side-boxes and a loudspeaker.

Satoshi Uchida, managing director, Suzuki Motorcycle India, flagged-off the initiative at the traffic police commissioner’s office in Gurugram, saying, “Helmets are not just accessories, but very important safety gear that can improve the chances of survival. Suzuki has always invested in making riding experiences exciting and safe for its customers. We are pleased to join forces with the Haryana Police and kick-start the 'Helmet For Life' campaign. ”

Adding to the comment, KK Rao, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, Haryana Police, said, “We appreciate this noble gesture undertaken by Suzuki Motorcycle India and are glad to extend our support in this mission to improve road safety. We urge two-wheeler riders to always follow safe riding practices and ensure that they not only themselves wear a helmet but also encourage the pillion rider to do the same.”

Mayank Dhingra