cycling

Heady freedom as judge agrees helmet laws are unnecessary

In 46 years of bike riding, Sue Abbott has never worn a helmet. So when the highway patrol pulled her over in country Scone and fined her for a no-helmet offence, she decided to fight.

The 50-year old mother of four has never been in trouble with the law, has never fallen from her bike, and thought it ridiculous she could not ride at 15km/h on a dedicated cycleway with an uncovered head.

A police video of the incident last year records the sergeant surmising ''it's a hair thing'', a view shared by many people when they first meet her.

Canterbury road crashes cost $1.4m a day

Road crashes are costing Canterbury $1.4 million a day, figures show.

The New Zealand Transport Agency's Canterbury Road Safety Report estimates the social cost of fatal, serious and minor road crashes last year at a staggering $4.3 billion nationally, with Canterbury's share amounting to $509.6m, or about $1.4m a day.

The social cost combines the loss of life and life quality with the loss of output due to injuries, medical costs, legal costs and property damage.

Lorry drivers have no more excuses when it comes to cycling blind spots (UK)

A new campaign calls for transport firms to send their HGV drivers on cycle-awareness courses and fit their vehicles with cameras

The risk to cyclists from large lorries is a problem in all urban areas. Thankfully crashes are rare – on average about eight cyclists per year are killed by lorries in London, accounting for about half the cyclist deaths in the capital. Across the UK, about 28 are killed by lorries each year, with 70% of these in urban areas.