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The latest phase of a major quad bike safety campaign will see more than 100 helmets distributed to farmers and crofters in Scotland in the coming weeks.
The move will see a quad bike helmet given away each day for 100 days from today (March 9) to the Royal Highland Show in June in the next phase of the #UseYourHead campaign run by Scottish agricultural charity RSABI and the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies).
The high impact campaign, launched a year ago, is driving home the importance of wearing a helmet every time you get on a quad bike. It is backed by a range of ambassadors, including Arran farmer Callum Lindsay, one of the stars of the new series of BBC’s This Farming Life.
Next week’s episode of the hugely popular series features Callum and his wife Zara describing what happened on the day of the accident and the devastating impact it had on their family and farm business.
Callum sustained major head injuries after being propelled off his quad bike when it hit a stone out on the hill and had to get back on the bike to ride to an area with signal to be able to call for help. He was transferred to the mainland in terrible weather via air ambulance and found the helicopter journey – when the pain really kicked in and he was unable to move – incredibly difficult, mentally as well as physically.
“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 recalls.
Callum is now 100 per cent committed to the importance of wearing a helmet and to urging others to do the same.
Along with other campaign ambassadors including former NFU Scotland President Martin Kennedy and former SAYFC Chair Ally Brunton, he is encouraging everyone to take quad bike safety seriously and to recognise the dire impact an accident can have not just on the quad rider but also on their family and farm business.
“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.”
A series of videos has been produced to drive home the campaign message to wear a helmet, including one film showing it takes less than five seconds to put on a helmet and attach the chin strap.
“Use Your Head” is being supported by organisations throughout the Scottish farming community, including NFU Scotland, the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association, the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland, Quality Meat Scotland and NSA Scotland.
“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,” said Carol McLaren, CEO of RSABI.
“Too often the RSABI team see at first hand the impact of terrible quad bike accidents, not only on the injured individuals, but also on their families, the farm business and the wider farming community.
“We need to see a momentum continuing to grow behind and our hope is to follow a similar trajectory to that seen in the ski-ing industry where a cultural shift has meant that it is very much the norm to wear a helmet now.
“Our hope is that our 100 day helmet giveaway will help to continue this momentum and also prompt farmers to “think safety” especially at this time of year when the tresses and strains of spring work too often leads to judgement errors which can be life-changing.
“Our call to action is to take a few extra moments to consider the terrain, weather and other risk factors, especially when there is so much work going on with livestock and machinery at this time of year.”
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) added: “We are proud to continue our support for RSABI’s #UseYourHead campaign and to partner in the 100‑helmet giveaway, which is another important step in encouraging safer working practices across Scottish agriculture.
“This year, we have already funded 20 Lantra‑accredited ATV training courses in Scotland, helping upskill those working in farming and crofting communities throughout Scotland.
“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.”
RSABI offers free practical, financial, and emotional support including counselling services, delivered quickly after receiving the initial enquiry. Its free confidential support service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by calling 0808 1234 555 (calls won’t show up on phone bills) or through a confidential webchat service, available on RSABI’s website www.rsabi.org.uk.
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