Rugby and racing stars tackle ATV helmet safety
Tom Youngs © Prova PR Celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones has teamed up with rugby and racing stars to encourage people to wear helmets when operating all-terrain vehicles.
Some 66% of ATV users never wear a helmet and only 20% sometimes choose to wear one, according to a recent poll carried out for Honda on Twitter farming account @FarmersoftheUK.
Just 14% said they always wear a helmet – despite the deaths of 25 farmers on ATVs in the past decade.
See also: Guide to keeping your farm ATV legal on the road
Mr Wyn Jones, international rugby stars Tom Youngs and Will Addison, and British Superstock 1000 rider Tom Neave have joined forces with Honda to encourage farmers to “use your head, use a helmet” when operating all-terrain and utility vehicles.
To raise awareness of the issue, all four men have designed bespoke ATV helmets with the help of paint experts Image Design Custom and Honda.
The helmets will be auctioned between 30 January and 29 March to raise money for two charities, Yellow Wellies and Headway.
Gareth Wyn Jones © Prova PR
Change attitudes
Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, home of Yellow Wellies, said all farmers must stop taking risks and wear helmets at all times when operating an ATV.
She added: “While our farmers are among the best in the world, farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK.
We are delighted that Honda is helping to raise awareness of the importance of wearing a helmet when operating ATVs.”
To bid for the helmets, visit EBay.
Tom Neave’s helmet © Prova PR