Dominican Republic’s helmet-safety push offers lessons for Jamaica

Regional efforts to address motorcycle-related fatalities are gaining momentum, and the Dominican Republic’s helmet-safety reforms are shaping conversations in Jamaica as it strengthens standards under the Road Traffic Act.

In the Dominican Republic, steadily rising road fatalities, particularly among motorcyclists, prompted urgent policy action, a concern that intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic and culminated in decisive reforms in recent years. Road safety analyst Yelissa Mendoza of the Dominican Republic’s National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (INTRANT) said the scale of the crisis became impossible to ignore.

“We had lockdowns, curfews, mass vaccinations, and still fewer people died from COVID than from road crashes,” Mendoza said.

“That forced us to treat road safety with the same level of urgency.”

According to Mendoza, motorcyclists make up roughly 57 per cent of the vehicle fleet in the country but account for the majority of these deaths.

“Our current mortality rate is about 28.8 deaths per 100,000,” she said “In 2024, we had about 2,971 road-safety fatalities, approximately eight people dying every day on our roadways.”

Mendoza reported that motorcycle-related deaths in the Dominican Republic accounted for 63 per cent of all road fatalities.

In Jamaica, motorcycle-related fatalities represented 34 per cent of total road deaths in 2025. Young men aged 15 to 29 accounted for 25 per cent of all road fatalities, indicating that this group is among the most vulnerable road users. Notably, in 2025 alone, 63 persons in this age group died as a result of motorcycle-related crashes.

“We realised that we were losing our youth,” Mendoza said.

“The disproportionate impact by vehicle type, gender, and age made it clear that we had to act.”

That shift led to stronger regulation, including the introduction of a technical helmet standard that clearly defines what qualifies as a certified helmet, closing a gap that had allowed substandard helmets to dominate the market.

Previously, Dominican Republic law required motorcycle drivers and passengers to wear certified helmets but did not define certification.

“We had a legal void. Nothing referenced a specific standard, so we couldn’t stop uncertified helmets from entering the country,” she said.

The new framework now ties helmet approval to internationally recognised standards and requires certification from ISO 17025–accredited laboratories. Although the Dominican Republic does not yet have local helmet-testing facilities, Customs officials and the national quality institute will verify documentation before helmets are cleared at ports of entry.

“If the helmet doesn’t comply, it cannot enter the country,” Mendoza said.

“Jamaica is headed down a similar route with the recently published Jamaican Helmet Standard. This represents the next steps for Jamaica as it tackles the issue of helmet safety,” said Sydoney Preddie, lead, youth and education programmes at the JN Foundation.

“We want people to understand which helmets are approved and why certification matters,” Mendoza said.

Authorities also introduced a six-month grace period before full enforcement, allowing time for public education and market adjustment.

Technology-based enforcement is being rolled out as well, including QR codes on helmets to allow roadside verification by officers. Progress is monitored through a Permanent Road Safety Observatory coordinated by INTRANT, which consolidates data from 14 institutions, including police, health services, forensic agencies, and national statistics bodies.

“This allows us to see patterns, track enforcement, and adjust strategies,” Mendoza said.

She noted that enforcement alone is not enough. Risk-taking behaviour and cultural attitudes, particularly among young men, continue to undermine helmet use.

“There’s often a bravado factor,” she said. “That’s why we have to reach young people early, and road-safety education is now being introduced in secondary schools nationwide.”

A similar strategy has been employed by the JN Foundation through its ‘Road Safety School Tour’ locally.

For Jamaica, where motorcycle-related fatalities remain a growing concern, the Dominican Republic’s experience offers a timely and relevant blueprint.

Clear technical standards, port-of-entry controls, public education, phased enforcement, and data-driven monitoring, all central to the Dominican Republic’s approach, mirror many of the objectives now being pursued through the National Helmet Wearing Coalition, a project being implemented by the JN Foundation in partnership with the National Road Safety Council with funding from the FIA Foundation.

By combining policy leadership with public awareness and consistent enforcement, Jamaican road-safety advocates hope to improve helmet quality, increase compliance, and reduce preventable deaths.

Preddie said assessing regional challenges related to motorcycle helmet safety is important, particularly given cultural similarities across the region.

“It is critical that we take a collaborative approach regionally to address the issue of motorcycle safety, specifically helmet safety, and work together to find solutions that will make an impact and save lives,” Wright said, adding that achieving meaningful change requires clear and concise regulations guided by effective, well-operationalised systems.