New Private Members' Bill will force children to show helmet purchase receipt within 30 days
LibDem MP Annette Brooke is hoping her private members bill will succeed where similar bills from MPs Peter Bone (Tory) and Eric Martlew (Labour) have failed.
The MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole presented her bill to Parliament yesterday. She said it "aims to protect children from head injuries, and the devastating effects of brain injury, by making it compulsory for those under 14 to wear cycle helmets."
Children climbing trees, or travelling in cars, or walking on streets, or skateboarding, or riding kick-scooters, will not be required to wear helmets, her proposed measure is just for cyclists.
The Cycles (Protective Headgear for Children) Bill will make it mandatory for children under 14 to wear cycle helmets when cycling on roads and in open spaces.
She said: "The law will not criminalise those cycling without helmets, instead requiring proof of purchase of a helmet within 28 days to avoid a fine.
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"We have a duty to protect our children, and the Cycles (Protective Headgear for Children) Bill will do just that. Brain injury devastates the lives of individuals and their families. Children are at a higher risk because not only are their brains not fully developed but they are less experienced at cycling and on the roads in general."
The MP does not propose any measures to prevent the risk of cycling on roads, such as slowing down motorists.
"Brain injury lasts a lifetime. We owe it to children to protect them in the years before they are old enough to make their own minds up," said Ms Brookes.
"More children wearing helmets will mean a reduction in child deaths and serious brain injury. Through this Bill I hope we can make cycling even safer, and encourage children to get out on their bikes."
Studies have shown that forcing children to wear helmets has the opposite effect: reducing the demand for cycling.
The MP's bill has the support of the BMA, brain injury charity Headway, the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust, Child Brain Injury Trust, road safety charity BRAKE, and the Child Accident Prevention Trust.
No cycling groups are in favour of cycle helmet compulsion. And Brookes does not have the support of key LibDem MPs.
Julian Huppert, LibDem MP for Cambridge, and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentarty Cycling Group, said:
"The Lib Dem transport team disagrees with her. I've tried to persuade her! Lib Dem (& coalition) policy is not to have compulsory helmets."
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6 comments
Here we have the 'Liberal's', the party that prides itself as being pro-freedom of expression and choice trying to push through Legisilation affecting other people's children and their rights to make their own choices. Take this with Lib Dem Noran Bakers axing of cycling funding for Cycle England and you get the impression the 'Liberal Democrats' aren't actually as pro-cycling as they'd like to make out.
Paul Jul 15th 2011 at 12:33PM
0 0An excellent point. It might just be one Lib Dem MP rather than party policy, but all the same, it's coming from the Lib Dem party. Before the election they told BikeBiz they had a range of measures to make life better for IBDs: "All these measures together will help to boost cycling which should be beneficial to independent bike retailers.” http://tinyurl.com/5wue4e6
Jonathon Harker Jul 15th 2011 at 12:42PM
0 0Indeed. And that was before the election. Since then, they've stood over the VAT increase which many retailers will agree has done much to damage consumer spending. They've stood over increasing Corporation Tax, which in our small LTD business had a whopping great impact on this year's tax bill. They've renegaged on their written pledge regarding student fees - and now, they're introducing Cycle Helmet legisilation which in my view will not only damage and hamper efforts to get more children cycling, but ultimately will only succeed in boosting supermarket profits where the vast majority of these compulsory helmets will be bought. I've yet to see in our two stores any parent by a cycle helmet on the basis of quality - it's all down to - 'whats the cheapest children's helmets you have?' Paul
Paul Jul 15th 2011 at 12:54PM
0 0Not 'them', it's 'her'. I updated the piece with a comment from the LibDem transport team. Basically, she's acting on her own here.
Carlton Reid Jul 15th 2011 at 1:23PM
0 0email her here - http://middorsetlibdems.org.uk/en/views
Sean Lally Jul 15th 2011 at 2:12PM
0 0Rubbish idea - lots of kids ride with their parents in the suburbs, on the pavement, or just in safe places for leisure - all of which have a low risk of head injury. I havn't seen many children ride in heavy traffic during ruch hour! In any case, helmet compulsion would put kids off riding bikes. Less kids on bikes = more fat kids. Lets hope this bill gets killed.
Simon Nash Jul 25th 2011 at 6:44PM
0 0