Basically mate, it means you have stolen a visa from someone who would have conformed to regulations and worn a helmet.

My daughter came off her bike going down a very steep hill. Had a helmet on. Got her to hospital covered in blood from every limb. The helmet was buggered, her head was not. I refuse to think about what state she'd have been in without the helmet, just looking at the thing afterwards made me want to vomit.

What winds me up is kids riding bikes with the helmet hanging from the handlebars.

Helmets for kids are a good thing.
All I'm saying is that it should be a helmet of quality.
I don't know how half of them pass any safety standard that may be set.

I'll go for senile... therefore I have the right to forget to be responsible.

What it comes down to is. I pointed this out to the copper, is that they let hundreds ride by them on a daily basis in my neighborhood without even a warning. So people start to think that even though there is a law it is essentially disregarded by those who are given the task of enforcing the law. As anyone will know there are hundreds of laws on the books that are not enforced for what ever reason. I.e out of date, only there to control if absolutely necessary... My contention is be consistent, enforce that law across the board. If he sees 30 people a day riding without helmets give tickets to them all not only one/week IF he feels like it (and then spit the dummy when someone points it out to him. I was really tempted to say to him that if he didn't like being challenged then he can always go work at rotten ronnies - they're always hiring). Then there is no confusion and people don't get lazy with the law. That copper, has seen me at least two other times without a helmet but this time he decides to ping me. I had in the past always worn the helmet but I have seen far too often that they simply don't care so I honestly thought they had decided that it wasn't an issue they were going to pursue anymore so got lazy with it. I suspect his motives were simply he needed to get his quota up or risk coming up on his superiors radar and asked to please explain.

Two wrongs dont make a right. Its a little silly to argue that they need to be more consistent just so you dont assume its ok to do it.

I've used a bike helmet twice now (and also used a motorcyle helmet a couple of times) and they do work.

Just as silly as when your kid points out that you said don't be lying but you let everyone else in the family do it? Or one flat foot that will get ya for even 1k over but every other la chonta lets anything under 10k go?

Maybe the coppers have received some complaints from the public and so they're increasing their enforcement of the issue (we had letters recently about pedestrians walking on the bike paths in our area and causing some dramas, so we've been out enforcing the bike lane/pedestrian lane divisions - more awareness rather than issuing fines, but that was our choice). It was a direct response to what the public were requesting of us.

Or maybe it has come from above (OIC or even a Ministerial request) to enforce that particular rule.

Or maybe the copper was just going to warn you, but thought you needed an attitude adjuster so gave you a ticket.

Who knows. Either way, you know you're committing an offence by not wearing one, so you're daft to complain when you get pulled up about it. But of course you are entitled to contest it if you want to (details on the back of the ticket).

As an aside, my OH spent 5 days in hospital a few years ago with lots of broken bones and a collapsed lung after coming off his bike and landing on his head. His helmet was smashed to pieces. His skull wasn't. Doctors said wearing it had saved his life. (This was in England so he wasn't required to wear one but always did.)

Nope only decided to get my moneys worth when la chonta pulled out the ticket book.

I'm daft because I think being consistent is only fair - I'd say that makes you daft for what you say but you're the fuzz so I don't expect you to care.

To be honest you're explanation makes me think that you guys get too lazy to do the job well and when you get slapped and told to pick it up we pay for it.

Or, like I said, we try and respond to things that get raised to us, in our individual areas. It's funny really, when we're out pinging people for things like not wearing helmets, jay walking, illegal u-turns etc people always say to us that we should leave them alone and be out catching [I]real[I] criminals. But you're saying if we don't ticket every single person for not wearing a helmet/jay walking etc then we're not consistent. We can't win. But I know most of us are reasonable and fair and work bloody hard. We also care. Well I do anyway.

I'm confused. How do you know how many fines for non wearing of helmet they've given over the past months? I mean, do you have an actual figure to prove that they're being complacent? Or are you saying that because you have *seen* people without helmets, then this must mean that the police aren't doing their job? I see people speeding every day. It doesn't mean they've never been fined, or stopped does it?

How do you 'pay for it' if the law says you should wear a helmet and you deliberately choose to flout the law? There's no defence in saying 'Well officer, him and him aren't wearing a helmet so therefore I'm not wearing one either'. What sort of weak excuse is that?
I expect your mum will be along in a moment saying 'Just because little Johnny jumps into a fire doesn't mean you have to....'

If you think consistent is fair, why aren't you consistently wearing a helmet? If you were being consistent in your undertakings as a citizen regarding the law, you wouldn't have had a fine.

Your explanation makes me think you're the lazy one. You can't be arsed to stick to what you know is law and then you berate the police for doing their job. You're quite happy for them to do other things that might protect you, yet you draw the line at them telling you to obey a law that is there to protect you but that you chose to deliberately flout and your excuse is that you've seen other people do it so it makes it ok. Nothing of what you say makes any sense. You're just having a hissy fit cos you got a fine for breaking a law.

Suck it up Princess and move on.

I got run over by a car when I was on my motorbike. The only thing that saved my life was my crash helmet.

On the way home from that accident, I got hit sideways by a car that broke my arm, leg, ankle and wrist. The only thing that saved my life twice in one day was my crash helmet.

Why would you not wear a ****ing crash helmet?????

I don't care about police. It's mental, or darwinian, to drive without a crash helmet.

JTL

It's the law, you broke the law and you knew you were breaking the law so it's easier to pay the fine.

They are not asking you to have anal sex with them, the are not asking for your blood, just to wear a helmet that is all.

Buy one you feel is hard enough to protect your head but wearing a cycle helmet is better than no protection.

But being cocky to the cops will do you no favors, they are only doing their job.

I need a like button on here, these 2 posts for a start and TPs suck it up princess one.

The law is the law, no matter how stupid you think it is, you obey the law.

I personally think there are some stupid ones around, but I obey them (mostly) and if I get caught doing something wrong that's my fault and I accept that.

Actually I have moved on but you idiots (in a nice way ) keep bringing it up. In fact the thread I started wasn't about the law was it...

But to answer you, maybe I can lift your obtuse way of thinking

It's quite easy, at least for me anyways, when you see about half the cyclists, from very young right up to gray hairs, not wearing helmets it's pretty clear that very few are getting pinged - right. I've ridden by at least 3 that didn't even lift an eye brow at me when I've ridden by...

Hears another way of thinking about it. When you or anyone goes to the beach for a barbie you have a glass of wine or a beer in clear view and guess what it's illegal. But, and I've seen it time and time again, ol flat foot walks right on by numerous people with eskys full of grog and doesn't do a thing so everyone knows it's wrong but they do it because the bizzies ignore it. But what if one anal copper decides he's gonna make an example well you'd expect everyone to get pissed off because there is no consistency to what old bluey doing. They ignore it for months if not years and then out of the "blue" decide to make examples of people - it's bull shit. You hear it all the time with speeding. All everyone that is complaining is wanting is be consistent nothing more. Some jurisdictions have 0 tolerance others allow 10km again make up yer ****in mind and stick with it. Enforce it or don't, nothing in between. You also aren't suppose to loiter but it's never enforced. How you going to feel if suddenly you're out talking with a few mates and the blue boys come by and say move on or cop the fine... You're going to be thinking what's their ****ing problem... All examples of things that are illegal but never enforced. Everyone including you, the angel that you are, ignore tens if not hundreds of laws because they're not enforced. There's also a good chance that you don't even know there's a law - such as loitering... because you've never heard of anyone being pulled up for it.

And from the opposite side

We all use seat belts right. For the vast majority it's not because we're scared well die but because every cop that sees you is going to make a serious effort to chase you down and fine you - no exception right. Clear and concise message to the masses and guess what! NO ONE COMPLAINS. Why because they know where they stand. Amazing isn't it.