While the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) is calling for the province to implement a mandatory bike helmet law, Bike Regina states that such a law could do more to reduce cyclist safety than help it.
“It is not something we support outright. We support helmets if people feel they need them,” said Luke Nichols, vice-president of communications for Bike Regina. “Research shows that helmet laws don’t increase safety. They can actually reduce the safety of cyclists.”
According to the SMA, 700 young people are hospitalized in Canada each year from bike-related injuries. A total of 20 die and 50 are disabled. Currently, Saskatchewan and Quebec have no provincial law for bike helmets. Cities can also implement their own helmet bylaw, something Regina has not done to this point.
A New England Journal of Medicine study found that riders with helmets reduced the risk of head injuries by 85 per cent. Conversely, an article published in the New York Times reported that the rate of bicycle head injuries, while less severe, had increased 51 per cent from 1991 to 2001, a timeframe in which bike helmets were mandatory. In the same timeframe, bike use was actually decreasing. One reason for this comes down to the drivers of vehicles.
“Studies have shown that when people wear bike helmets, cars pass closer to them, rather than leave them extra space,” Nichols said.
A University of Bath study showed that when overtaking cyclists, drivers gave helmeted cyclists much less space than those without helmets. On average, drivers passed helmeted cyclists 8.5 centimetres closer than non-helmeted cyclists.
“Not wearing a helmet, I get more clearance than if I am wearing a helmet,” Nichols said.
Instead of a bike helmet bylaw, Nichols said he would prefer to see changes to infrastructure to protect cyclists on the road.
“Infrastructure has been proven to be the safest way to increase ridership,” Nichols said. “We believe in the eight-to-80 rule. An eight-year-old should be able to move around the city feeling safe and an 80-year-old should be able to feel safe as well.”
If a bylaw were to be approved by council, the implementation process could take upwards of a year.
“It could go from six months to a year depending on the complexity of the bylaw change,” said Erna Hall, deputy city clerk. “We would have to look at enforcement and who would be responsible for that enforcement and what the consequences of non-compliance would be.”
The bylaw change would involve an amendment to the current traffic bylaw to allow for mandatory helmets on all non-motorized bikes. Before the bylaw would be in place, a lot of public consultation would also happen.
“We would do public engagement on this to see what the requirements are or what everyone is looking to have in place,” Hall said. “There would be interested parties like Bike Regina and other individuals who are involved in the biking movement, who would be asked to participate also.”
Nichols said that Bike Regina would love to be part of any consultation.
“We would definitely want to consult with the city if they are putting in bike laws,” he said.
With whatever happens with helmet laws, Bike Regina would like to see it left to the rider to decide if they want to wear a helmet or not.
“We are not against bike helmets per se. We are just against mandatory helmets.”