Stakki Stikka: Australian Program
Summary: This description of an Australian helmet promotion program was provided by Carolyn Kerr,
Coordinator.
Stakki Stikka
Winner
Community Category
2003 CARRS-Q/RACQ Queensland Road Safety Awards
At 3.15pm on the 13th day of November 2001, a 14-year-old boy lay face down, unconscious in the middle of a busy
intersection on the Sunshine Coast. His pushbike a buckled wreck on the medium strip, his schoolmates watching in horror
from the footpath, concerned bystanders race frantically to help him as the Ambulance arrives. Not a helmet insight...
ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING...!
That could've been my child.................. That could've been my car he hit!
Stakki Stikka is a sticker in the form of a number plate with three letters and three numbers that is directly registered
with a child and the school that he/she attends, eg. ABC-123 is registered with Sue Smith at Kawana High School. The
Stakki Stikka is placed on the child's helmet.
Sponsoring businesses and authorized government bodies (Police, Ambulance, Councilors, teachers etc.) have nomination
rights, so when they see a child riding their bicycle anytime day or night, wearing their helmet correctly, they can
contact us with the Stakki Stikka number. The child is then entered in a draw to win prizes like movie passes, C.D's,
vouchers, books, surfing classes and lots more (all supplied by the community).
AT NO TIME WILL THIS PROGRAM BE USED AS A DOB-IN-A-KID SITUATION. This is purely an incentive program to get helmets on
the heads of kids who ride bikes.
I believe if the foundations are set in place properly now then all registrations will stay with the child until they
graduate from school and all nominations accumulated over their school years will entitle them to major prizes for
loyalty and commitment upon graduation. By that time we would assume that repetition has created habit and helmet wearing
will become second nature.
Research suggests that there is a larger scope of participation than school students alone. Parents, teachers and out of
school adolescents have also shown interest in participation and inclusion in prize distribution. With this information
we have expanded registrations to include these groups.
The concept has the support and assistance of the QLD Premier, QLD Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue, Education,
Transport, RACQ, QLD Injury Surveillance Unit, MAIC, CARRS-Q, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and many more.
There is increasing interest in the future of Stakki Stikka, with encouragement to expand throughout Queensland and the
rest of Australia.
Obviously with the RACQ's publication of the helmet wearing survey, you are aware there is a desperate need for something
to be done and I personally feel that there is too much 'society blame' on the kids, parents, schools and then ultimately
the Police are demanded to clean up the problem with enforcement. Let's implement a positive program and give rewards.
Rewards build confidence and repetition creates habit.
The child who was hit by the car back in November 2001, is Canon Murchie. His doctor told his parents if he was wearing a
helmet he would have walked away from the accident. Instead he was raced to Brisbane and spent 2 days in a coma, he had a
hole drilled in his scull to release the pressure to his brain, spent a week in intensive care, 4 weeks in hospital and
faces years of rehabilitation. Canon was only one victim in this accident, his family, the driver of the vehicle and her
family, the Ambulance Officers, Doctors, Nurses and everyone who watched helplessly that day including me.
It will happen again! We as a community can reduce this.
Thank You
Carolyn Kerr
Coordinator
0419 123 349
"The decision to have a child is to accept that your heart will forever walk about outside of your body" Katherine
Hadley
If you want to try a similar program in your area, make sure the sticker you use is compatible with helmet shells. See
our sticker page for more info on that.