Absurd motorcycle helmet blooper! Do you see what’s hilariously – worryingly – wrong here?
The motorcycle helmet: a basic requirement for safety and eligibility to drive or be a passenger on a, well, a motorcycle. There are so many 2-wheelers in the Philippines and we’d like to think that the majority would at least know how to properly wear the protective headgear, right? Apparently, there are some who don’t. If you think this stuff comes out in comedy shows, then you and Col. Bong Nebrija thought the same. Check this out.
Good: Motorcycle backrider rides helmet. Bad: Backrider wears motorcycle helmet the wrong way.
Photo: Edison Bong Nebrija
Making sure that a motorcycle helmet meets standard, safety specifications is crucial in its ability to protect its wearer. Of course, if it’s worn the wrong way, then it won’t work the way it’s intended to. Such was the case of what Col. Bong Nebrija of the MMDA spotted on the roads. A lot of photos and videos similar to what you see above have made their rounds on the internet, but this one caught Nebrija’s attention.
In his post, Nebrija spotted the backrider wearing his motorcycle helmet the wrong way and personally flagged the driver to the side of the road. It’s quite funny if you look at it, but the concerning part here is the fact that this was unintentional. In his own words, Nebrija said, “Akala ko nga nananadya at nagpapatawa lang. … Akala ko sa comedy shows lang nangyayari ito, sa totoong buhay din pala.”
[I thought they were doing this on purpose to be funny. I thought this could only happen in comedy shows, but it can in real life, too.]
Photo: Edison Bong Nebrija
There are two big things that we see wrong in this hilarious but at the same time disconcerting motorcycle helmet blooper. First, it’s always the driver’s (whether a car or motorcycle) responsibility to check on everyone; if they’re ready, if they’re (seat)belted in, and if their gear is put on properly, among many other things to check, before even kicking the vehicle into first gear. Second, in this day and age, it’s quite perplexing how someone could be unaware of how to wear a helmet the right way.
In this specific case, the motorcycle’s already traveled from Taytay to Baliwag Terminal where they were pulled over. It’s a good thing that nothing untoward happened along the way, but what if something did? We should never make light of any possibility of an accident, and if this turned out differently, the backrider could have been hurt, or worse. And this motorcycle helmet blooper – blunder – will have played a big part in it.
Photo: Highway Patrol Group
Getting behind the wheel and handlebars also place a very big responsibility on one’s shoulders, and that’s ensuring the preparedness and the safety of everyone riding with him/her, and that of everyone else’s safety around him/her. On the same token, as passengers or backriders, we also have a responsibility to know how to use gear properly, and to not do anything that may cause the driver to figure into an accident. Or an unlikely apprehension.
That said, responsible riding can and should be taught. One such place to learn these things is in the MMDA Motorcycle Riding Academy; they offer an entire theoretical and practical course for free so that’s not such a bad thing to get into.
Educate yourselves; simply knowing how to operate a motorcycle or motor vehicle makes one a proper “driver”. It takes more than knowing how to make these vehicles move, and yes, knowing how to properly wear a motorcycle helmet ourselves – or reminding our backrider about it – is part of it.
