Now in NSW cyclist get a $320 if they dont wear a helmet. My fiance got stung on the first day (before 9am) by some gung ho cop.
Good work police force, Im sure the $320 is a justifiable cost for the crime committed.
Im sure this will encourage less cyclists for transport.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/5334208.stm
www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-cycling-laws-fines-will-affect-suburban-amenity-advocates-warn-20160214-gmtpyb.html
I've started wearing a helmet, but I removed the straps... is that gona attract a fine?
It would be better for the country if the police, the courts and politicians focused on other crimes.
They appear to have a 'hard on' for cyclists and car drives
I presumes this is because they are easy targets, do not take much policing, generates revenue and does not take up much of their time with follow up paperwork etc..
^^^maybe it's more about reducing the trauma associated with unintended head injuries that is common within cyclists. Treat someone with a head injury, and you'd want uniform helmet laws.
Select to expand quoteKEAW YED said..
They appear to have a 'hard on' for cyclists and car drives
I presumes this is because they are easy targets, do not take much policing, generates revenue and does not take up much of their time with follow up paperwork etc..
Australia is like Saudi Arabia for Drivers and Riders.
I heard on the radio a couple weeks back this guy was found guilty of mistreating animals, and had 120 dead grey hounds... he got a $500 fine.
I was caught speeding on the Warringah FREEWAY 112kmh, got $855 fine + it looks like I'll lose my license bcos I was over 30kmh.
Select to expand quoteJulianRoss said..
^^^maybe it's more about reducing the trauma associated with unintended head injuries that is common within cyclists. Treat someone with a head injury, and you'd want uniform helmet laws.
Why don't they mandate helmets for all sports?
I'm not very fast on my bike, on a flat I'll do ~20kmh, uphill ~10kmh.
Is it the law? Yes? Tough.
Could the pricks in blue do something more productive with their time, like policing actual crime? Definite yes. But where's the profit in that?
The following comment will make some people fill uncomfortable, but here goes.
In the 80's, I saw a very short documentary that changed my attitude to helmets. It was one of those emergency medical shows on TV (which were popular in the 80's and the TV station - I think it was ABC - would time these shows when people were sitting down to have dinner). The patient (a teenager) had a snowboarding accident and sustained a severe head injury. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He was on the operating table and doctors were trying to save him. They opened up part of his head to relieve the pressure as his brain was swelling. His brain was coming out like a squeezed tube of tooth paste. It was the front part of his head, so what was coming out was his memories and personality. They were scraping it off his head as it was coming out with swabs. The doctor operating was commentating this and saying they may not be able to save him. "Too much is coming out".."now he will probably be a vegetable", "That's it, he is gone."
I thought it was a tragic loss and deeply touched me. From that point on, I treated helmet protection very seriously and realised how fragile our heads are.
Select to expand quoteFlySurfer said..JulianRoss said..
^^^maybe it's more about reducing the trauma associated with unintended head injuries that is common within cyclists. Treat someone with a head injury, and you'd want uniform helmet laws.
Why don't they mandate helmets for all sports?
I'm not very fast on my bike, on a flat I'll do ~20kmh, uphill ~10kmh.
Hi Fly
unfortunately the damage done to a head is a direct consequence of the speed of the fall. Various factors include point of impact, time to decompression, protective reflexes. A head injury is just sad.... and tragic
Select to expand quoteemjn1 said..
The following comment will make some people fill uncomfortable, but here goes.
In the 80's, I saw a very short documentary that changed my attitude to helmets. It was one of those emergency medical shows on TV (which were popular in the 80's and the TV station - I think it was ABC - would time these shows when people were sitting down to have dinner). The patient (a teenager) had a snowboarding accident and sustained a severe head injury. He wasn't wearing a helmet. He was on the operating table and doctors were trying to save him. They opened up part of his head to relieve the pressure as his brain was swelling. His brain was coming out like a squeezed tube of tooth paste. It was the front part of his head, so what was coming out was his memories and personality. They were scraping it off his head as it was coming out with swabs. The doctor operating was commentating this and saying they may not be able to save him. "Too much is coming out".."now he will probably be a vegetable", "That's it, he is gone."
I thought it was a tragic loss and deeply touched me. From that point on, I treated helmet protection very seriously and realised how fragile our heads are.
100% correct. 
I still have a nephew living and breathing, due to him wearing a helmet when he was knocked off his bike. He slid across road surface, and cracked open his helmet on the kerbing. If it wasn't for wearing a helmet, it would have been his skull that cracked open.
Some in WA may remember Steel Bishop a professional cyclist. He was that impressed that the young fulla wore his helmet, he visited him in hospital and presented him with a new one.
To those that whinge and complain about wearing a helmet. I couldn't care less how expensive your fines are, and how much it cost you, or how inconvenienced you feel, nor how dorky you look. 
Try spending a few weeks at a rehab centre, seeing the damage this "not wearing" helmets has on head trauma suffers.
Not only does it impact the direct family and friend groups, it cost a bundle to put some person back together, in funding and people. Funding and people that could be used in other areas. All became some person thought it was uncool and beyond him/her to wear head protection.
Try that stunt of not wearing a helmet in the workplace, where helmets are mandatory, and you loose you job, not just a paltry fine.
Good on the cop for pinging whoever it was. Would buy him a beer if I knew him 
Select to expand quoteFlySurfer said..JulianRoss said..
^^^maybe it's more about reducing the trauma associated with unintended head injuries that is common within cyclists. Treat someone with a head injury, and you'd want uniform helmet laws.
Why don't they mandate helmets for all sports?
I'm not very fast on my bike, on a flat I'll do ~20kmh, uphill ~10kmh.
Do u realise that if the human head falls from it's natural height - say 175cm for you (?) and hits hard surface - it is all over?
Falling off your bike stationary could technically kill you.
It doesn't happen much as your torso hits first and you put your arms out etc. But and unforseen hit from a funny direction will do it.
People said all the same things about other laws at the time also, seatbelts were dumb and unnecessary apparently.
It is a pointless law in WA, rarely ever enforced. The number of riders I see without helmets is proportional to the number who do wear them. Observe any local high school (or primary for that fact) and have a look at the number of kids who don't wear helmets, or hang them off their handlebars. Kids are not targets as the police are unable to fine them.
Bummer after your missus getting caught bjw but the bottom line is, as an adult she will be an easy fine paying target. As a helmet wearing cyclist, I still believe the decision should come down to the individual. Surely the cops could be better spending their time focusing on greater social crimes than a helmet.
About three months ago I rode my bike from Ocean Reef down to Scarborough. On the way down I noticed a couple of cops pull into the layby at Northbeach .
I was having a drink at the water fountain at the Scarbs amphitheater, when this dude pitches up , no helmet , tattoos above the shoulder line , " Hey bro, wanna buy a bike bro , fifty bucks bro , I'm over riding riding bro ".
In his next sentence he said "It's a steal bro " I replied , yeah , I was just thinking that. He took off pretty quick on this high end green Merida mountain bike. By the time I reached the north end of the Scarborough beach where the exercise equipment and toilet block is , he was trying to off load it on to someone else.
I pulled over to tell the cops at the Northbeach layby , who by now were doing RBT work with the female partner inside probably doing verification work on a laptopw while the male half was pulling over the cars and doing the breath tests.
While she did comment "probably stolen" neither of them asked for a description of the bike or the dirtbag trying to off loaf it.That IMHO, is why we have a soaring crime rate here in the west. Nabbing motorists , is way more important than catching real crooks .
I'm all for the new fines for the helmets though, next time he steals a bike , he might just get a big fine 
Select to expand quoteshi thouse said...
It is a pointless law in WA, rarely ever enforced. The number of riders I see without helmets is proportional to the number who do wear them.
This is so true , it's only enforced during a Police Blitz , or maybe if somebody is having a bad day , or didn't get a root the night before .
Julian does wearing a cycle helmet actually save lives?
There appears to many articles that say they do and just as many saying they do not.
I am of the thoughts that it is up to the person to decide.
its not really about saving lives its about saving the permanent brain injury every one else has to pay for the rest of the stupids life
If they all just up and died we wouldn't give a crap
Why are helmets in cars not compulsor, more people drive and at higher speeds but we don't have them. Imagin the lives saved if we did have them but it will never happen as people will kick up a stink and more importantly car manufacturers would fight as it would say cars are unsafe. I agree with wearing a bike helmet and I always do but the designs are suitable for a very specific head impact and at low speeds. Large parts of your head are still exposed to impact unlike motorcycle helmets.
I saw a bloke pedalling up the road the other day with a colander for a helmet.
I thought he was just having a bit of fun then it occurred to me maybe he's a Pastafarian out to test the religious exemption from the requirement to wear a helmet.
I'd like to see how that works out in court.
Lets separate bike accidents that happen on the road from those on bike paths. Seams useful to wear a helmet when mixing with traffic, while its lame to have mandatory helmet laws for riding on paths. If you are that concerned about your head, feel free to wear a helmet 24/7, just don't impose your concerns on everyone else. 
Select to expand quoteDarkspi said..
its not really about saving lives its about saving the permanent brain injury every one else has to pay for the rest of the stupids life
If they all just up and died we wouldn't give a crap
i kinda got an impression that half of cyclists, those who wear lycra particularly are brain dead anyway
Select to expand quoteFlySurfer said...KEAW YED said..
They appear to have a 'hard on' for cyclists and car drives
I presumes this is because they are easy targets, do not take much policing, generates revenue and does not take up much of their time with follow up paperwork etc..
Australia is like Saudi Arabia for Drivers and Riders.
I heard on the radio a couple weeks back this guy was found guilty of mistreating animals, and had 120 dead grey hounds... he got a $500 fine.
I was caught speeding on the Warringah FREEWAY 112kmh, got $855 fine + it looks like I'll lose my license bcos I was over 30kmh.
32 km over!!! I take it you were doing 112km in and 80 zone so you deserve what you get ya clown. Hopefully taking the bus may give you time to reflect or your error.
Select to expand quoteKamikuza said..
Is it the law? Yes? Tough.
Could the pricks in blue do something more productive with their time, like policing actual crime? Definite yes. But where's the profit in that?
Its true, crime doesn't pay
Road users do time and time again.
I don't understand the logic of people who wear helmets but leave the strap undone...
I mean it you are in an accident the first thing that will happen is the helmet will come off (and hence offer no protection).
Am I missing something here?
Perhaps it is some sort of secret code amongst gay cyclists?
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Do u realise that if the human head falls from it's natural height - say 175cm for you (?) and hits hard surface - it is all over?
Falling off your bike stationary could technically kill you.
It doesn't happen much as your torso hits first and you put your arms out etc. But and unforseen hit from a funny direction will do it.
Totally bull...
Back in January it was raining nearly every day, and I bought a pair of Nike Air 2016's, I ran from cover over to the next cover from the rain, slipped like in the cartoons with the banana peel, straight bang on my head (185cm).
Got up walked away.
Rode home in the rain.
Sure it hurt, for a while.
Next day I tried to returned those crappy Nike's... literally 0 grip and dangerous in the wet.
My point is some people ride really slowly, and the danger is fairly minimal, and it should be left to them to decide how best to manage the danger.
Cops should have to wear helmets in their cars, bcos they're frequently breaking the speed limit.
Drivers, footy players, cricket players, ... equal or mote danger.
If you're a cyclist doing 60kmh on the road... bloody oath wear a helmet, go full helmet.
Select to expand quoteRPM said..
32 km over!!! I take it you were doing 112km in and 80 zone so you deserve what you get ya clown. Hopefully taking the bus may give you time to reflect or your error.
It's a 10 lane FREEWAY... you old granny.
10 years ago it used to be 100kmh speed limit, they made it variable and then kept it at 80kmh.
I was overtaking a truck, slow overtaking is dangerous... defensive driving 101. My average speed was probably ~85kmh.
Any developed country would have 120kmh speed limit on a similar road.
I don't even think I was doing 112kmh... it sure didn't feel fast, I was in no hurry, I was riding to the conditions > a removals truck pulled in to the right-most lane in front of me, so I undertook and then moved back in to the right lane > next thing I know cops flash his lights at me.
How fast was he going? He was on Military Road and had to get on the Warringah Freeway, then catch up to me.
I got a friend who came of his motor bike at 180km/hr in stubbies and a t-shirt. Ended up with no serious injuries, but a lot of dressings all over his body. Another friend who fell over sideways on a stationary bicycle wihthout a helmet - dead.
