Helmet giveaway in quad bike safety drive

More than 100 crash helmets are being given to farmers and crofters across Scotland as part of a quad bike safety campaign launched by the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rsabi).

The initiative, which is based on a random daily draw, will see a quad bike helmet distributed each day for 100 days leading up to the Royal Highland Show in June.

The giveaway forms the latest stage of the #UseYourHead campaign organised by Rsabi and the Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies.

See also: Advice on protecting farm kit and avoiding GPS thefts

The campaign is supported by several ambassadors, including Arran farmer Callum Lindsay, who appears in the BBC series This Farming Life.

An upcoming episode of the programme features Mr Lindsay and his wife, Zara, recounting a quad bike accident that left him with serious head injuries.

Mr Lindsay was thrown from the quad bike after it struck a stone on a hillside.

Despite his injuries, he remounted the bike to reach an area with mobile signal so he could call for help before being airlifted to the mainland in severe weather.

“My head felt like it was going to explode, but my biggest worry was ‘how is the work going to get done? Who is going to do it? Will I still be able to farm?’” he said.

Following the incident, Mr Lindsay has become a strong advocate for helmet use.

“I don’t go on a bike without a helmet now. It only takes seconds to put it on and now I feel more comfortable wearing a helmet than without it.

“It’s a lifeline tool and I don’t think about putting it on now, it is just part of my daily routine. It’s something everybody should be doing.”

Discussions

Rsabi chief executive Carol McLaren said the campaign had prompted discussions across the farming sector about quad bike safety.

“We are really encouraged with the success of the campaign so far and the conversations we are having with farmers and crofters around the country about the importance of quad bike safety,” she said.

Ms McLaren added that quad bike accidents often affect not only injured individuals, but also families, farm businesses and the wider rural community.

Farm Safety Foundation manager Stephanie Berkeley said the organisation was supporting the helmet initiative alongside training programmes.

“By empowering people with both the right equipment and the right training, we hope to play a small but meaningful part in keeping more workers safe while they go about their daily tasks,” she said.

Farmers are invited to enter the daily draw via the Rsabi website, or through Rsabi’s social media channels.