Bicycle helmet legislation of limited benefit

The effectiveness of legislation requiring cyclists to wear helmets in New South Wales has been questioned by research from the University of Sydney.Australian pedal cyclists have been required to wear helmets since 1991. Analysis published in the latest Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety finds most of the recent reduction in head injury rates among cyclists occurred before mandatory helmet wearing took effect and is due to general improvements in road conditions.Associate Professor Chris Rissel from the Sydney School of Public Health collated annual hospital data for head injuries resulting from cycling accidents from 1988 to 2008 and compared these to cyclists' arm injuries during the correspo...