Fines for not wearing a bicycle helmet in New South Wales are disproportionately higher than anywhere else in the country, university researchers have found.

Key points: University researchers argue the $344 fine for not wearing a bike helmet in NSW is out of step with other road-related offences

University researchers argue the $344 fine for not wearing a bike helmet in NSW is out of step with other road-related offences They're making the case for the penalty to be lowered, saying the fine is more about revenue-raising than safety

They're making the case for the penalty to be lowered, saying the fine is more about revenue-raising than safety But the Centre for Road Safety says helmets reduce head injuries by up to 74 per cent in crashes with cars

People breaking mandatory bike helmet laws in NSW face a $344 fine, while in Victoria it's $207. The lowest fine is $25 in the Northern Territory.

Researchers from the University of Wollongong (UOW) and Queensland University of Technology said data showed the NSW fine had increased by more than 300 per cent since 2016, when it was $73.

UOW researcher Julia Quilter argued the fines were designed to raise revenue rather than improve safety.

"We've got almost $6 million in terms of the face values of the fines that have been issued [from 2016 to 2019] for this one offence," Dr Quilter said.

"That strikes me as a very high amount of money for what is really, very minor offending."

Fines for not wearing a bike helmet in NSW are $344, compared to $25 in the NT. ( ABC News: Josh Mullane )

Poorer government areas slugged with more fines, research suggests

Researchers say fines are not being policed consistently across NSW. ( Nic MacBean, file photo: ABC News )

The research, which looked at data on offences, fines and locations between 2016 and 2019, also suggests that some of the poorest government areas in NSW are copping the most fines.

Dr Quilter said the fines were not being consistently policed across the state.

"There are some areas such as Blacktown in Sydney's west which are very heavily policed [as well as in] some country areas," she said.

"A range of these areas have poor people, young people and often Aboriginal people who are significantly disadvantaged by these types of fines."

According to the research, Blacktown accounts for a high proportion of penalty notices in NSW, with 2,218 fines issued over the three years.

Blacktown made up 11-13 per cent of the total fines issued in the state in each of the three years since 2016-17.

In contrast, 850 fines were issued in Wollongong over the same period.

In 2018-19, the 12 local government areas other than Sydney in which the most penalty notices were issued made up 46 per cent of the total fines.

The areas were Albury, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Kempsey, Lake Macquarie, Liverpool, Newcastle, Penrith, Shoalhaven, Tamworth, Walgett and Wollongong.

Are the fines too high?

Dr Quilter argues mandatory helmet laws should to be reviewed. ( Supplied: Julia Quilter )

The research suggests that penalties are out of proportion to other road-related offences.

In NSW, you have to be driving at 20 kilometres per hour over the speed limit before the fine exceeds the penalty for not wearing a helmet.

For a vehicle driving in a designated bicycle lane, the penalty is a $191 fine.

Bicycle Network spokesperson Alexander Miller said the fine for not wearing a bike helmet was too expensive, particularly for people who were dealing with financial hardships.

"It really doesn't factor in that people who ride a bike might be doing so because they have trouble affording other modes of transport.

"We think it would be better if … people over the age of 17 can actually choose if they wear a bike helmet while they're riding off-road.

"If we look at ways to reduce the risk for people who ride, making people wear protective gear isn't really a good way to do that, it's better to just remove the risk.

"If you say, it's not very nice to ride on the road because there are lots of cars, the best thing to do is actually separate the bikes from cars with a good bike lane rather than make the rider wear a helmet."

However, the Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said cyclists were some of the most vulnerable road users and needed extra protection.

"Research shows that helmets reduce head injuries by up to 74 per cent in crashes with motor vehicles," he said.

Dr Quilter argues the fines need to be drastically lowered and that police should issue a caution first, rather than an expensive penalty.

"These types of fines clearly are not showing a safety rationale if that's what these laws are really about," she said.

The NSW Police and NSW Department of Revenue declined to comment.