Helmet safety

Every province and territory should enact all-ages helmet legislation.

Issue: Head injuries
Head injuries are the leading cause of severe injury and injury-related deaths to children on bicycles.

• Safe Kids Canada's Facts and myths on bike helmet legislation (pdf)

Problem: Low helmet use
Research shows that a properly fitted helmet can decrease the risk of serious head injury by over 85 per cent. This means that four out of five head injuries could be prevented if every cyclist wore a helmet.

Solution: All-ages helmet legislation
Enact all-ages helmet legislation in all provinces and territories for all ages.  Helmet laws encourage helmet use.  Head injury rates among child and youth cyclists are about 25 per cent lower in provinces with helmet laws, compared to provinces without.  Currently, six provinces have cycling legislation in place, but only four cover all ages. Legislation, in conjunction with ongoing education and enforcement programs, is necessary to make helmet use the norm.  Both helmet use and cycling should be promoted to keep kids healthy, active and safe.  

For more information on helmet safety please see: 

• Safe Kids Canada's Helmet provincial legislation chart (pdf).
• Safe Kids Canada Position statement on all-ages bike helmet legislation (pdf) 
• Cochrane review

Call to Action
Every province and territory should enact all-ages helmet legislation. 

The Federal government should regulate sports helmets and support Canadian helmet standards development.

In addition, government, industry, communities and all stakeholders can promote healthy active, safe living and a culture of cycling.  This means reducing traffic speed in communities through lower speed limits and traffic calming, but could also include the development of areas for recreational biking. Improving road safety requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the road design in a community as well as the way vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists use the street.

What You Can Do
Show your support for all-ages helmet legislation by sending a letter to your local MPP or MLA and the Minister of Transportation in your province or territory!

All-ages template letters:

• Alberta (doc)
• Manitoba (doc)  
• Newfoundland and Labrador (doc)  
• Northwest Territories (doc)
• Nunavut (doc)  
• Ontario (doc)
• Quebec (French) (doc)
• Saskatchewan (doc)   
• Yukon (doc)