Should helmets be made compulsory for cyclists? It’s not that easy…

The mere mention of this topic is enough to irritate people’s minds. Should helmets be mandatory for all cyclists? Currently, helmets are only compulsory for children under 12 years of age.

Every Sunday you’ll find a new episode of our Biclu series on Le Parisien’s Facebook page.

In our Biclou video series, every time a cyclist answers an interview without a helmet, the comments are taken away. Examples: “Wear a helmet and everything will be perfect,” advises Philip. “And here is a journalist without a helmet,” Nati complains.

Serious head injuries reduced by three times thanks to helmets

Just under 17% of victims suffer a head injury while riding a bicycle. Most often, injuries affect the legs and arms.

“On the other hand, when we are interested in serious or outright serious injuries, then first it is the head, and then the chest. [qui sont touchés] “, nuance Jean-Louis Martin, epidemiologist and road safety specialist, deputy director of UMRESTTE.

Together with his teams, he demonstrated the effectiveness of helmets in reducing head injuries. “We determined that the risk of serious head injury was divided by about three” by the helmet. For minor injuries, “the risk is divided by slightly less than two,” the specialist insists.

“Wearing a helmet? We are wrong on this issue.”

If a helmet is effective, should it be forced on everyone? Logical, yes. However, if you go deeper into the topic, the issue seems more complex.

An amendment made to the Law on Mobility Orientation (LOM) in 2019 attempted to impose it on everyone, including those over 12 years of age, but was unsuccessful.

During this debate, Barbara Pompili, then MP for the Somme and now Minister of Ecological Transition, opposed this proposal: “Wearing a helmet? We are wrong on this issue.”

The elected official then voiced the concerns of cyclist associations who vehemently oppose the law. Because, contrary to popular belief, the requirement to wear a helmet may well have a detrimental effect on cycling, slowing down the democratization of its use. And at the same time, do not deal with the real dangers that await cyclists on the road.

Watch episode 15 of our cycling video series Biclou, which highlights this issue.

VIDEO. Should we make wearing helmets mandatory for cyclists?

Watch other episodes of the series “Biklu”