The Malaysian Insider

By Paul Si

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 – In most countries, it is widely acknowledge that the crash helmet is one of the most important safety devices for motorcyclists, and often the critical factor that separates life from death.

In Malaysia, we do things differently. Here, a motorcycle helmet’s primary function is a weapon. Not a defensive weapon, mind you, but an offensive bludgeon used mainly to bash in the heads of people who upset you, after which the motorcycle is your means of executing a speedy getaway.

An outrageous statement, you say? Do a simple search with the keyword “helmet” in The Malaysian Insider’s archives.  I just did (Oct 24, 10pm, Malaysian time).

Item #3, headlined “Form 5 student, youth charged with assault”,  Exhibit A –  “… alleged to have caused injury to Mohd Khairul Nizam Muhammad, 16, and Muhammed Ilyas Mazlan, 16, using helmets in front of ….”

Item #10 headlined “Ice-cream vendor killed in fight over girlfriend”, Exhibit B – “…Wan Ahmad Faizal Wan Abdul Rahman, 33, and a friend were attacked near a shopping complex by a 10-man helmet-wielding gang.”

Other “helmet” results were stories about how Felipe Massa’s helmet saved his life, US women marines and (Malaysian) bank robbers.

Totally unrelated but I once drove over some guy’s helmet. Thankfully, his head was not in it but still on his body, which was on his motorcycle. He had a helmet, which he was holding in his hand, while riding along a trunk road, until it slipped from his grip, hit the road and rolled under the wheel of my 4X4.

I did not feel too bad about crushing his helmet since he obviously felt he didn’t need it.

Many Malaysian motorcyclists do wear helmets. They do it because the law says they have to. But you can tell they would really rather not, by the way they leave the straps dangling, or wearing them back to front, or with torn and tattered lining.

So, how do you save the lives of people who couldn’t be bothered about the well-being of their own heads?

Frankly, I couldn’t be bothered either but a company called GIVI Asia seems determined to give it their best shot.

You could be forgiven for suspecting their motives, given that the GIVI people are in the business of making and selling motorcycle helmets (along with accessories like those rather useful storage boxes).

But, the company’s top bosses are giving some rather unusual directives to their sales teams, like “Don’t accept orders from dealers who want only one size.” Telling a salesman to refuse to sell his wares to a dealer who wants to place an order for, say, 50 helmets in the “Large” size must be a very confusing instruction indeed, especially when there are targets to meet.

This is what GIVI’s “One Size Does Not Fit All” campaign is all about, and it is founded on the premise that, for all the research and development and engineering and testing that goes into the creation of a safe helmet, all these would come to nought if the helmet does not fit the wearer.

To properly protect its wearer, a helmet must be worn properly, which means it must fit properly.

“Malaysian motorcyclists need to understand that in order for a helmet to be effective, it must be the right fit. Not too loose on your head, and not too small that it is tight and uncomfortable,” says On Hai Swee, GIVI Asia’s general manager.

“In the same way that caps are designed for different sized heads, we have developed helmets of different sizes to suit the shape and size of each individual motorcyclist’s head.”

“And, our dealers will receive training and appropriate equipment to make sure customers get helmets that suit them,” he said.

On was speaking at the introduction of a new line of helmets, the GIVI Roma, which go on sale at selected dealerships from Oct 25.

Joseph Perucca, GIVI Asia’s overseas operations manager, stressed the company’s commitment to a sustained education campaign aimed at getting dealers and end users to embrace the practice of selecting the correct helmets according to size and fit.

“With over 60 per cent of people involved in motorcycle accidents suffering head trauma, it is essential that bikers understand how their choice of helmet could impact their life,” Perucca said.

“We feel compelled to raise a point which is becoming a major issue in Malaysia, and which we feel is important,” he continued. “Often we hear motorcyclists say when purchasing a helmet, ‘it’s expensive!’. Quality and safety are two words which do not go with cheap!”

If RM200 sounds like too much money to spend, what is your head, and your life, worth?

The new helmet will be offered in four sizes – S, M, L  and XL – and four styles – two mono colours (matt black and pearl white) and with two graphic designs (on solid white, and on metallic black).

While GIVI is going all out to ensure customers get a good fit, chances are the customers want to know if the helmets will look good on them. Yes, the Roma is stylish. GIVI is Italian, with headquarters in Flero, Lombardy, Italy. Enough said.

GIVI Asia was established in Malaysia in 1994, initially to distribute GIVI’s range of motorcycle accessories, and set up a factory at Bukit Beruntung in 1997 to begin local manufacturing. The plant now turns out 40,000 units of boxes, helmets and accessories per month, 30 per cent of which are exported while the rest are sold locally.