The matter in summary Trygg Trafikk believes it is time for a helmet requirement in Norway. A report from the Transport Economics Institute estimates that between 440 and 1,000 head injuries could have been avoided annually if people used helmets. Kristiansand is the city in Norway where most people use bicycles to and from work, but many ditch their helmets. The report from TØI suggests that a possible helmet requirement should apply to all cyclists and to all types of bicycles, including electric scooters. There is uncertainty about how any helmet mandate will be controlled and enforced. Some cyclists are reluctant to wear a helmet due to personal preferences, such as hair style. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – I was thinking about the hair to be completely honest. It will be completely flat, but I understand that I should wear a helmet, says Inger Bredesen. She has taken the bike in the center of Kristiansand, but left the helmet at home. Trygg Trafikk believes the time is ripe to introduce a helmet requirement in Norway. The background is a recent report from the Transport Economics Institute (TØI) which estimates that between 440 and 1,000 head injuries could have been avoided annually if people used helmets. Several of those news meets on the street still drop their helmets: – I don’t take a helmet with me when I go out and think people must be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want to wear a helmet or not, says Trym Sandbakk. – I’m dizzy and I keep getting a yellow card from my dear wife for forgetting to put on a helmet. But I don’t cycle that fast then, says Asbjørn Arntsen. Stein Coward thinks it is important to wear a bicycle helmet and is positive about a mandate. – I myself fell on a bicycle before it became common to wear a helmet and know how important it is for safety, he says. If there was a helmet requirement, Inger Bredesen would take a helmet with her before going out the door: – I’m not unreasonable and I don’t want a fine, she says. Are you in favor of a helmet ban? Have your say further down in the matter. Inger Bredesen actually thinks that you should wear a helmet, but dropped it herself because of the hairline. – I’m a bit vain, she says and laughs. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news Not following recommendations Subject director in Trygg Trafikk Tanja Loftsgarden says far too many cyclists in this country injure their heads when they cycle. – We know that wearing a helmet halves the risk of head injuries, and therefore want even more people to wear helmets, she says. According to the report, the real number of seriously injured cyclists in Norway is probably between 200 and 300 per year. Loftsgarden says she understands that a possible helmet requirement will be perceived as a deprivation of liberty, but that they see that advice and recommendations are not followed. – We are generally good at following rules in Norway, so we believe that an order will make even more people wear helmets. Professional director of Trygg Trafikk Tanja Loftsgarden believes that now is a good time to introduce a helmet requirement. – The number of cycling accidents is increasing, she says. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg Meløe / news – Putting the helmet on the handlebars Kristiansand is the city in Norway where most people use bicycles to and from work. Those working to get even more people onto two wheels see, among other things, that more young people than before are dropping their helmets. Councilor Katrine Valderhaug Jore in Kristiansand municipality is therefore positive about measures that make more people choose helmets. Do you wear a helmet when you cycle? No, that’s too much control. Yes, of course. Always! No, but I think I should start doing it. Show result – The young people take it off in certain situations and put the helmet on the handlebars. It is important to give them information about helmet use and that it can save lives, she says. Jore still questions how any helmet mandate should be followed up. – It is a question of how to control this and whether you have the capacity to carry out that control, she says. Councilor in Kristiansand municipality Katrine Valderhaug Jore is positive about measures that make more people choose to wear helmets. Photo: Siv Kristin Sællmann / news Should also apply to electric scooters The report from TØI states that a helmet requirement will probably be most effective if the law applies to all cyclists (children, youth and adults) and to all types of bicycles. They also believe the following factors will be important in increasing helmet use and reducing resistance: The law should also apply to electric scooters. It should be possible to make exceptions in, for example, steep/long uphills. The law should also apply to cycling on pavements. Tom Andre Jakobsen is one of the young people who ditches his helmet. When news meets him, he rides an electric scooter – with a hood on his head. Tom Andre Jakobsen believes it should be up to each individual whether they want to wear a helmet or not. He even drops his helmet. Photo: Geir Ingar Egeland / news – I don’t think mandating helmets is a stupid idea, because it’s easy to go on the nose, he says. Nevertheless, Jakobsen believes that it should be up to each individual whether a helmet is used or not. – For my part, it has to go a little faster before I choose to wear a helmet. Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue Published 14.10.2024, at 11.28
ttn-69
Trygg Trafikk wants helmets mandatory for cyclists – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
