Road safety officers back Wiggins' helmet plea
This news article was published more than a year ago. Some of the information may no longer be accurate.
Published: 05/09/2012
Mr Wiggins who recently triumphed at the Tour de France told the BBC that the wearing of cycle helmets should be made compulsory. He also advised cyclists not to wear ear phones or other equipment that prevented them from using all of their senses to keep safe.
Senior Road Safety Officer Alan Hale said: “This message from such a celebrated cyclist and national hero gives credence to the message that my team have been pushing for years.
“One of our own experienced cycle trainers was hit from her bike by a car and her helmet was fractured from one side to the other. Had she not been wearing a helmet that fracture would have been her skull.”
Cycle helmets are widely regarded as reducing impact speed by 12 mph when the head hits a hard object.
The council has been in the vanguard of cycle training nationally for many years and require anyone undertaking training with them to wear a helmet.
Whilst South Gloucestershire Council has achieved great success in reducing fatalities and seriously injury casualties on the roads and has already exceeded casualty targets set by the government to achieve by 2020, officers are concerned about an increase in adult cyclist casualties.
Mr Hale added: “Relatively speaking there are probably more people cycling as a result of successful efforts by councils to encourage people to use other forms of transport and thus casualty numbers are likely to increase. However we are eager to reduce those numbers and firmly believe that wearing cycle helmets will further help reduce casualties.”
Anyone interested in learning more about Bikeability training as an adult can contact the training team on 01454 863704 or book courses through the council on line booking system at www.southglos.gov.uk/cyclelesson
The training helps people to more readily understand safe positioning, ride planning and much more. Two one-hour sessions are delivered free by a nationally accredited Bikeability instructor.
A slightly longer course is available for adults who are not cyclists but would like to learn to ride a bike and become confident.
The council continue to provide training for children through schools and school holiday courses.
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