The right one

Instead of being sprawled in the living room on a Sunday afternoon, my father and I hit the streets of Mandaue looking for a motorcycle helmet.

“The right one,” he said.

We searched not just for an ordinary helmet but for one with an Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) sticker featuring a hologram issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Apparently, we weren’t the only ones in the quest. A number of motorcycle riders were, too. With only a few weeks left before the implementation of the Helmet Law in August, the helmets were selling like hotcakes.

In the past years, thousands of accidents involving motorists occurred. Most of the time, the one on the motorcycle suffered more damage. I have seen motorcycle accidents happen here in the northern part of Cebu. Blood spilling onto the streets was not an unusual sight. More often than not, the first part to crash is the head. Without the proper helmet, your head would break before you know it.

Many motorists have been looking for quality helmets to comply with the Helmet Law. A list released by the government contained almost 50 brands, 90 percent of which are from China. If you do not want to buy a new helmet, go to DTI, have your helmet inspected and they would issue an ICC on it. Given that it passes their standards. The sticker costs P1.25 but you have to pay a processing fee of P100, totally a different story.

Although the law requires that you shell out a thousand pesos or two to acquire the helmet, it is worth it. Substandard helmets are out in the market. There are even motorcycle drivers who wear bike helmets on the road. Worse, there are some who wear construction hats. The logic is very simple, get a helmet for a motorcycle. But still this simple rule seems so hard to comprehend for others.

Regardless of the clamor on buying the right brand, it is time for motorists to wear the right type of helmet. I look at the motorists wearing the wrong helmet in the streets and I say a silent prayer for their safety. Not everyone is insured. It is better to be ready for the worst.

There are different factors to consider when buying a helmet - material, weight, size, design, etc. DTI requires the helmet to have an outer shell, ear flaps, neck curtain, non-protective lower face cover, clear visor and proper ventilation upon wearing it. Proper impact absorption, projection, rigidity and retention are also areas that DTI tests. If these standards are not met, then you’re most likely to have head gear that does not protect you. I’d rather spend more for the protection I deserve plus I avoid being caught. Contrast this with something cheap that will most likely break with your precious head

 “An ounce of prevention is better than cure,” an old saying goes. The law simply exercises this philosophy. Bottom line is we care. I care for my dad who uses a motorcycle. We care for the habal-habal drivers and their passengers who roam the streets every day. We care for the workers who cannot afford a car to drive to their offices.

More motorists will flock to motorcycle shops to buy the helmet with the sticker. For now, they see it as a requirement of the law. But in the long run, they would value it as the government’s move to protect its people.

“The right one,” my dad said.

**Published in The Freeman newspaper on July 24, 2012