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Helmet laws in Canberra are likely to be re-examined as part of a national review of safety, road rules and cycling participation rates. A senate committee has called for the Health and Infrastructure Departments to review the laws after the creation of a national data set to monitor injuries. The recommendation comes after the ACT government floated changes to road rules to allow cyclists to travel at low speeds in shared zones without a helmet. The changes were proposed to encourage cycling in Canberra after investment in separate bicycle lanes and a two-year trial requiring motorists to remain one metre from cyclists at all times. The senate committee report reveals some stakeholders believe the laws were a "political decision taken to create a good image, without any proper research or consideration of the consequences". The report found the mandatory helmet rule "was consistently identified as a primary barrier to improving cycling rates in Australia". "[Cycling groups] suggested the removal of the mandatory requirement would lead to an increase in cycling participation and improve long-term public health as well as positively impact traffic congestion, road safety and pollution levels," the report says. Some stakeholders argued a drop in cycling participation rates would make it more dangerous for those riding on the road. "By diluting the effect of safety in numbers, mandatory helmet laws have the perverse effect of increasing serious injury rates among those who continue to cycle," the report says. Pedal Power ACT executive John Armstrong said he encouraged all cyclists to abide by the law but welcomed the discussion. "In every country that has mandated helmet laws – Mexico, Israel, New Zealand and Australia – there has been approximately a 20 per cent reduction in people that actually ride their bikes," he said. "The reality is that if you choose to wear a helmet and you are involved in an accident there are pretty good indications that wearing a helmet is likely to assist you in not getting major head injury." Mr Armstrong said the introduction of helmet-free zones in Canberra could cause confusion for cyclists when travelling across the city. "The discussion in the ACT has been enabled through the notion of certain areas being non-compulsory wearing of helmets," he said. "We have no strong opinion one way or the other. We recognise this opens the debate. "The reality is, however, sometimes you've got to ride to or from those locations. It seems as though there is a gap in that thinking." Canberra police fined 201 cyclists for riding without helmets over a four-year period with another 367 issued with cautions or warnings.

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