Child Helmet Laws: Helmet laws can make it a crime for
children to take part in a healthy activity
- It would be perverse to prosecute children or their parents for cycling,
which is beneficial to health, whilst encouraging through the same helmet law
sedentary lifestyles, which lead to worse health and greater costs for society.
- In Australia, the courts rapidly became overloaded with the prosecution of
those who had not paid their fines. The Victorian Children's Court pleaded to
the police to reduce the number of helmet fines being issued [1].
On other occasions children faced detention for up to 3 months, tearing families
apart [2].
References
[1] Focus on petty sins defeats court's purpose.
The Age, 2nd September 1993.
[2] Boy faces detention for unpaid bike fines.
Sydney Morning Herald, 12th December 1997.
