Will mandatory helmets make cycling safer?

photo: Leah Larocque – City Unlimited

By Maya Hamovitch

The tragic death of cyclist Krista Johnson two weeks ago spurred debate around whether helmets are the solution to preventing such deaths.

Johnson was reportedly not wearing a helmet when she was hit by a car on Bronson Avenue near Carleton University.

The Chief Coroner of Ontario has recently pushed for mandatory helmet legislation.

The coroner’s report, released in June 2012, examined circumstances around 129 deaths between January 2006 and December 2010. Only 27 per cent – 35 out of the 129 cyclists killed – were wearing helmets.

The report suggests making helmets mandatory for all cyclists. The Chief Coroner claims all 129 deaths were “preventable” and recommends changes that would make helmets mandatory for everyone.

The report says the vast majority of cycling deaths happen in clear weather on dry roads with good visibility and encourages Ontarians “to take personal responsibility for their own safety and for the safety of all road users.”

But according to Alex deVries, vice president of Citizens for Safe Cycling, implementing this mandatory legislation could generate negative effects, including a decrease in cycling throughout the city.

“Cycling without a helmet is safer than not biking at all,” he said.

“Cycling reduces the incidence of obesity, heart disease as well as other diseases and cyclists live longer whether they wear a helmet or not. Also, the number of collisions, injuries or deaths that would be prevented by wearing a helmet isn’t really clear and really what the helmet debate does is divert our attention from trying to make cycling safer. A helmet will only help you if you’re in a collision. I would prefer that we focus on preventing collisions in general.”

Research in the Canadian Medical Association Journal supports this position. A 2002 paper by Canadian researchers shows a 62 per cent reduction in cyclists in Halifax and Australia following the implementation of helmet legislation.

deVries said two fundamental issues need to be addressed if we want to make a difference to cycling safety, neither of which relate to a need for helmets.

“Sharing roads properly is important. Most collisions involve problems with right of way and I think if we know how to share roads better things will become much safer. Another part of it is infrastructure. If we would invest in infrastructure this would make our city safer.”

deVries is not alone in stating the need for improved safety practices on a large scale. A 2012 report by the World Transport Policy says helmets will do little to make cycling safer in jurisdictions where it is already relatively unsafe.

Click here for a map of recent cycling-related fatalities in Ottawa.