Editorial | Hong Kong bike helmets a smart idea that saves lives
Hong Kong police chief says head protection should be mandatory as cycling deaths double in first eight months of year
Bicycle friendliness has long been in short supply in Hong Kong, where an alarming rise in deadly road accidents so far this year underscores a need for improvement. As interest in cycling steadily grows in the city, it is good that authorities are responding with a push for improved safety, including a helmet law.
Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee on Sunday said the force would work with transport authorities to make helmets mandatory for cyclists after the number of riders killed in traffic accidents doubled in the first eight months of the year. The number of cycling accidents may have fallen 7 per cent year on year to 1,105, but fatalities rose from four to eight. Six were not wearing helmets.
In the whole of 2023, six cycling deaths were recorded and there were eight in 2022, when the Transport Department said it was considering a helmet mandate because of a rise in accidents. However, it stepped back after concluding such laws were not common internationally.
But head protection, along with bike lights and observing road safety rules, are embraced by professional riders and serious enthusiasts. A legal mandate seems reasonable if it can save lives.
Last Friday, a 14-year-old cyclist was left fighting for his life after being in a collision with a car in Yuen Long. Last month, a cycling vlogger from the mainland was killed while riding on Lantau Island.
