Knocking in some sense

Press, 3 February 1987, Page 16

Knocking in some sense

Some years ago the wearing of crash-helmets was made compulsory for motor-cyclists. The idea was generally applauded. Since then, many riders must have been saved from death, and many more from serious injury by their helmets. There is, however, an exemption permitting people who have a valid medical reason to ride without a helmet.

The exemption has been exploited and the Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble, has declared his intention to close it. He declined to say that his action- was directed at members of motor-cycle gangs, although anyone who travels the roads will be aware that they are the most obvious offenders. Some will, perhaps, say cynically that if motor-cyclists want to increase their chances of death or injury, why should the Government worry about them? There are two replies to that.

First, the State often claims a right to protect those who are insufficiently wary or

informed, or too stupid, to protect themselves; it does so with all manner of health and safety regulations. Its authority to do so is derived partly from the fact that it is the State that must pay for the sometimes disastrous consequences of foolishness. Second, as Mr Prebble observed, the Ministry of Transport is being laughed at for failing to enforce the law. It has even been suggested that traffic officers are sometimes inhibited from apprehending riders without helmets by fear of the consequences.

Mr Prebble has suggested that the choices available include allowing a limitedperiod exemption from wearing a helmet on medical grounds, or scrapping the medicalgrounds exemption altogether. The latter would seem to be the better course. It is hard to think of a valid medical reason for not wearing a helmet that would not also rule out riding a motor-cycle. The short answer for Mr Prebble, and for greater safety, is to assume that there is none.