Philanthropically Protective

We caught up with Niels Peter Jensen and his “Helmets for India” team at IBW to get to know their laudable initiative for Indian two-wheeler riders. Here is their story

Niels Peter Jensen isn’t a household name for motorcyclists in the country. But he should be, because this very pleasant German man has been doing something important. really important. Here is the story of niels Peter Jensen and his “Helmets for india” movement

so, who exactly is niels and what is “Helmets for india”?

niels was a professional downhill cyclist who quit competing about 10 years ago. after that the German athlete started working with motorcycle promotions and travels. in addition, niels was a host on a German television show which brought him to our country. it is here while that niels saw a horrific sight right after landing. He witnessed a bad road accident involving a family on a motorcycle.

the injuries were high in severity on account of the fact that the victims did not wear helmets. Wearing these safety devices would have lessened those terrible injuries. india has some of the highest accident numbers in the world, with over 300 accidents per day, of which, shockingly, 70 per cent of head injuries could have been avoided by just wearing a helmet. niels then decided that he would find a way to help solve this problem. He would start to give out helmets as he travelled with a team of motor artists and mates. this new movement was branded “Helmets for india”.

the goal would be a mix of stunning art with motorcycle safety. the team roped in artists from around the globe to customize a bunch of helmets. artists such as D*Face, Magnus Walker, Caroline Perron, et al. niels and his team also visited a number of places showcasing their work in india. some of these places were the Bike shed and the Malle Mile in the UK, MotoGP sachsenring, Germany, Wildays in italy, and more. in india, the team travelled from Mumbai to Goa, handing out helmets to locals on twowheelers without a protection.

this year at india Bike Week, “Helmets for india” made a presentation about what they had achieved and also announced their plan for the future. We were pleased to see what the organisation has been able to achieve. However, even though the journey had been successful, niels decided that he wanted to do this and on a larger scale; something that we motorcyclists can truly be proud of.

the plan now is to gain financial settlement through the artisan helmets in europe. after that “Helmets for india” will buy 1,000 protective units to be given out once again. When questioned about how niels felt about these helmets being sold or given away by new owners, he said he was absolutely all right with that. He said as long as the helmets were being used, he would be happy.

niels has fallen in love with india. He said that this mission was now a major part of his life and that he thoroughly enjoyed the work.

While it is admirable to see a foreigner take so much interest in the safety of people who are absolute strangers to him, we must remember that it is our job as indians to take up the initiative and work towards a safer riding culture.