To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales.

This petition of residents of New South Wales (NSW) brings to the attention of the House the need to repeal the mandatory bicycle helmet law in NSW.

While cyclists must wear AS/NZ 2063-compliant helmets in Australia, and some States and Territories provide exemptions on cultural, religious, age, infrastructure, or medical grounds, NSW doesn't provide any exemptions. Furthermore, the climate at NSW has high UV radiation levels, with wide-brimmed (>7cm) hats recommended for outdoor activities, but an equivalent safe tested helmet attachment is not available. Custom attachments are illegal; they are not tested and may interfere with the helmet properties and may injure the cyclist in case of accident.

Additionally, people wearing a religious headdress, ear muffs, cycling on cycle ways, aged 18+, or cycling at a speed below a fixed threshold such as 10km/h are also currently required to wear bicycle helmets at all times. Recently car drivers are required to give cyclists one meter of space, which makes cycling safer and already decreases the risk of accident.

The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to repeal section 256 of the Road Rules regulation, thus dropping the requirement to wear bicycle helmets.

To the Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales.

This petition of residents of NSW brings to the attention of the House the need to repeal the mandatory bicycle helmet law in NSW.

Cyclists must wear AS/NZ 2063-compliant helmets in Australia. However, while the radiation protection standard* recommends wide-brimmed >7cm hats for adequate sun protection, the helmet visors -- the only tested AS/NZ 2063-compliant sun protection attachment -- are shorter and only front-side. These visors expose face, ears, and back of the neck to direct sunlight and the risk of skin cancer.

*"Australian Radiation protection standard for occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation"

The undersigned petitioners therefore ask the Legislative Assembly to repeal section 256 of the ROAD RULES 2014, putting an end to the requirement to wear bicycle helmets in New South Wales.