Managing Director of Total Energies, Nerusha Govender told journalists in Blantyre on Friday that the company has now started distributing helmets and providing awareness to the motorcycle drivers.

She said 100,000 helmets will be distributed in 40 countries where Total Energies is operating, of which, 1,520 will be shared to people in Malawi thereby assisting vulnerable populations with good quality helmets.

“Helmets if put on correctly, can reduce the risk of death by 42 percent and the risk of head injuries by 69 percent, so motorcycle drivers have to be encouraged to use the helmets all the time,” said Govender.

She added that Total Energies will continue raising awareness of road safety thereby strengthening the company’s local presence with sustainable impact.

This comes when statistics indicate that 28 percent of road accidents victims in the World involve motorbikes, with for instance, motor bike operators commonly known as Kabanza in Malawi being accused of fueling road accidents, injuries and death.

Others argue that this group needs to be given intensive road safety training as one way of curbing such accidents.

As a matter of interest, Total Energies Marketing Malawi Limited is one of major players in the energy distribution sector and it has been working in Malawi for 60 years now.

According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data published in 2020, Road Traffic Accidents Deaths in Malawi reached 6,221 or 6.45% of total deaths.

The age adjusted Death Rate is 57.15 per 100,000 of population which ranks Malawi number three in the world.