TV ad aimes to repeal bicycle helmet laws.

Image: CityCycle in Brisbane which was intended to encourage usage, but has failed.

Around 20 years ago the federal government effectively blackmailed the states into introducing mandatory bicycle helmet laws, by threatening to withhold road funding to states that failed to comply. Since that time the use of bicycles has declined dramatically. Geoff Mcleod of Helmetfreedom.org has produced the following video on the issue along with the statement below it:

This is an issue that's gaining momentum as people see our bike share failing. I ask you, and your party to help repeal our nanny-state helmet laws and bring us in line with the rest of the world. Australia is only among 2% of nations (Australia, NZ, United Arab Emirates) who have who have unfair mandatory helmet laws for adult riders.

I appeal to your common sense and hope you will support a repeal of this law. This may even save our taxpayer-funded shared bike scheme and help ease traffic on our roads and the help the environment.

Bicycle helmet laws have done nothing to change injury statistics. The head to writs injury trend was never effected by these laws. The laws were only successful in stopping a generation from using bikes. For More information, visit this site.

That site has an Exposé of the failure of the Citycycle program in Brisbane where helmets are mandatory, compared with the results in Dublin where they are not, with a 25 fold improvement in usage.

For those who may doubt the validity of Geoff’s claims there is an interview with Professor Chris Risel who is the Professor of Public Health at Sydney University who is in substantial agreement with him.