CYCLISTS across Australia will deliberately break the law this weekend as part of a unified protest against compulsory helmet rules.

In Perth, a peloton of helmetless cyclists will ride between Maylands train station and the Perth Cultural Centre.

Organised by a group known as Freestyle Cyclists, the aim of the ride — which will also take place in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Wellington — is to highlight the importance of cycling and that it is being “held back” by helmet legislation.

“Everyone agrees that we have healthier people and more liveable cities if we leave the car at home and use a bike instead,” Perth ride co-ordinator Russell Lindsay said. “But if you do this in Australia and don’t wear a crash helmet, you will be fined.

“In most countries, people are free to attend to everyday activities by bike, dressed in everyday clothing.

Freestyle Cyclists wants Australia to join the rest of the world and move beyond helmet fines.

“Internationally, bike helmet laws have been almost universally rejected.

“These laws prevent the uptake of cycling while offering no significant safety benefit.

“The practice of fining people for this healthy and benign activity makes no sense.”

The group believes Australia’s relatively low use of bicycles as a regular mode of transport is directly linked to helmet laws.

But last year, Perth emergency doctors said the failure to wear a helmet put cyclists at a far higher risk of dying if involved in a serious crash.

According to the Road Safety Commission, three of the four cyclists killed on WA roads last year were not wearing a helmet.

And the Royal Perth Hospital’s trauma registry has shown that eight of the 10 cyclists who died after being admitted to the hospital in the past five years had also failed to protect their head with a helmet.

RPH State trauma director Sudhakar Rao said last year that about 20 per cent of the cyclists admitted to the hospital each year had not been wearing a helmet.

“Wearing a helmet is not a big imposition, it’s a very simple act,” Dr Rao said. “You are less likely to get a head injury if you wear a helmet and if you do get a head injury, it’s likely to be a lower-grade head injury, one that you’ll recover from,” he said.