Wau boda boda rider Dulu Remejo is upbeat about his new acquisition – a shiny white helmet and an orange reflective vest.

“It is true that a helmet will help in the riding of my motor cycle and prevent accidents,’’ he says, acknowledging something he most likely knew already, but hasn’t been able to enforce.

Dulu Remejo is one of more than 300 boda boda riders who participated in a recent peace and safety campaign in Wau, organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

‘’People on the streets will know that you are riding a motor cycle, and respect you, especially at night,” he says. “Other drivers and riders will know that you are riding a motor cycle,’’ says Dulu, detailing the benefits of wearing the UNMISS-donated safety gear.

And he is right. A lot of accidents that occur in Wau are attributed to reckless [WJM1] riding and driving, with all motorists competing for space on the only tarmac road that connects the administrative area to the nearby markets.

Martin Mudara Mudara, a 50-year-old fishmonger in Suk Jua, joined the crowd of young boda boda riders, waiting his turn to receive his protective gear. Like Dulu, he knows the advantages of using a helmet since, he says, he has ridden bikes all his life.

‘’The helmet is important when you are riding a bike, especially if anything happens to your bike and you fall,’’ he said as he waited patiently. ‘’It helps protect your head. Very important indeed,” concluded Martin, who was hoping to bag more than one helmet.

‘’If I get five, I will keep them and use them one after the other,’’ he said, rather over-optimistically.