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  • Submission to the Prime Minister April 2009

    Following CRAG’s submission, the federal government abandoned its policy of supporting compulsory bicycle helmets, stating in a letter to CRAG that “helmet wearing policies are entirely determined at a state and territory government level”. blank SUBMISSION ON BICYCLE HELMETS Introduction When the then Prime Minister Hawke announced the ‘black spots’ program in December 1989 to…

  • Brief Summary of Surveys Showing a Decline in Cycling due to MHL

    1) Pre-law in Victoria, some students at schools which compelled them to wear helmets chose to give up cycling instead. (Reference???) 2) According to Vic Roads report IR 90-15 (1991), the number of cyclists described as adult commuters declined by nearly 60 per cent between March and July 1990. This figure is invalid because of…

  • Information Sheet: Bicycle Helmets and Bicycle Helmet Legislation

    Cyclists Rights Action Group The low-down on bicycle helmet laws, 2nd Edition, 30 August, 1996 Where did the Bicycle Helmets Law come from? For many people the Mandatory Helmet Laws for Bicyclists (MHLB) simply turned up out of the blue. How did this happen? As far back as 1978, the House of Representatives Standing Committee…

  • Compulsory Helmets Debate in the ACT Legislative Assembly

    Written in May 1992 SPECIAL NOTE: The following Hansard document, which covers the introduction of compulsory helmets legislation in the ACT in May 1992, was manually scanned from hardcopy by a CRAG member. Since about 1995, the ACT Government has begun to make Hansard available online. Click HERE to do a Google search for helmets on…

  • Brief history of helmet law in Australia

    Following the precedent of helmets for motorcyclists, opinion unsupported by scientific evidence developed that cyclists, especially children, need more protection and that helmets could provide it. In 1978, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Road Safety recommended that “cyclists be advised of the safety benefits of protective helmets and the possibility of requiring cyclists…

  • Bike Share

    Dublin bike share: a success story: Now deployed in over 500 cities worldwide, bike share is the fastest growing urban transport mode.

  • Canberra Times article

    WHAT TO TELL THE KING Helmets protect soldiers and workers, so let’s make cyclists wear them too and save our children from dreaded brain injury. The idea seemed plausible. Surgeons advocated it and as early as 1978 a Federal parliamentary committee on motorcycle and bicycle safety recommended that it be kept under review. The initial…

  • Submission to “CYCLING AUSTRALIA, THE NATIONAL STRATEGY”

    In August 1998, Austroads Inc., a body comprising Australian transport authorities, invited comments on a consultation paper for a national cycling strategy. On behalf of CRAG, Bill Curnow submitted the following comments. COMMENTS ON “CYCLING AUSTRALIA, THE NATIONAL STRATEGY, COMMUNITY CONSULTATION PAPER, AUGUST 1998” The paper does not give any attention to the effects that…

  • COMPULSORY SELF-PROTECTION ON ROADS: GAIN OR HARM TO SOCIETY?

    Introduction A subject of current controversy in Australia is the role of governments in individuals’ choices about protecting themselves against disease and injury. Concerns have been expressed about infringement of civil liberties and possible adverse effects of preventive medical treatments that governments are urging, immunisation for example. People are rightly demanding the full scientific knowledge…

  • Submission to the National Road Transport Commission

    Entrenchment of Helmet Laws in Australian Road Rules by Bill Curnow 18 August 1997 Under an agreement by all governments in Australia, the National Road Transport Commission is developing Australian Road Rules that all road users in Australia will need to follow. Draft rules were released for public comment in 1994. In the light of…