Brain injuries charity calls for the compulsory wearing of cycle helmets
Andrew Harding is chairman of Headway, Cardiff, the brain injury charity and a board member of the Headway charity nationally. He is a member of the Court of Protection court user group and is listed as a leader in the field of personal injury in the Legal 500.
THE death of a 28-year-old cyclist in London last week led to Olympic Gold medallist Bradley Wiggins being asked to comment on whether cyclists should be made to wear helmets.
His comments brought the issue of cycle helmets back into the spotlight and sparked a heated debate about whether now is the time for new legislation to be introduced.
As chairman of Headway, this is a campaign that I am all too familiar with and fully support Headway’s call for helmets to be made compulsory for cyclists in an attempt to save lives and prevent lifelong disability.
The wearing (or not wearing) of cycle helmets remains an on-going and increasingly high-profile area for concern. Recent reports suggest that fatal and serious cycling accidents have increased by 74% in Wales, and a total of 118 cyclists were killed or seriously injured last year – an increase on the previous highest number of 68 recorded in 1997.
