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Child Helmet Laws: Summary

Helmet laws can make it a crime for children to take part in a healthy activity

Child helmet laws

are disproportionate to the risk of head injury when cycling.
reduce cycling much more than they increase helmet use.
threaten the lives and well-being of thousands of children by discouraging a healthy activity.
aggravate efforts to encourage more people to lead active lifestyles.
represent poor value for money. The laws in Australia and New Zealand failed subsequent cost-benefit analyses [1] [2].

See also:	Child cyclist head injuries in England: the wider context

Helmet laws can make it a crime for children to take part in a healthy activity

References

[1] Taylor M, Scuffham P. New Zealand bicycle helmet law - do the costs outweigh the benefits? Injury Prevention, 2002;8:317-320
[2] Hendre et al. An Economic Evaluation of the Mandatory Bicycle Helmet Legislation in Western Australia. Australia Road Accident Prevention Research Unit, 1999.

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