Bike Helmets Could Become Compulsory
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications is mulling a plan to make the wearing of bicycle helmets compulsory.
The amendments, planned with the Ministry of the Interior, would be accompanied by changes in the Penal Code, enabling fines up to 100 fine units (400 euros), the daily Õhtuleht reported today.
Helmets are currently compulsory for cyclists aged under 16 and moped drivers, but there is no legal framework to enforce penalties on offenders.
When the Reform Party changed coalition partners, and the Social Democrats replaced IRL, work on the amendments was stalled but is now on the agenda again.
British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh recently spoke out about helmets and was skeptical of their benefits, but Jaan Eelmäe, neurosurgeon at the Tartu University Hospital, disagrees, calling the criticism “rubbish."
“People survive. And they go on to have a better life if the fall is cushioned by the helmet," he told Õhtuleht.