Bicycle Network Victoria: Behaviour

Approved helmets have the Australian Standard mark

Helmet standards in chaos

9 December 2010. Australia's new standard for bike helmets, which was to have been mandated next week, has been delayed for six months causing confusion in the bike industry and leaving consumers in the dark.

The deferment comes after the government was lobbied by the bike industry, which was concerned that a number of wholesalers and retailer had been caught overstocked in helmets of the previous standard.

Helmets labelled with the old standard can now be sold until 30 of June next year, provided they also comply with the new AS/NZS 2063:2008 standard, which was to have been introduced on 12 December, 2010.

This paradoxical situation has arisen because some helmets meet both the old and new standards. It seems that some suppliers of such helmets failed to obtain proper compliance with the 2008 standard.

The government's change gives these industry players a get-out.

However the move has disadvantaged responsible bike businesses that have been quitting the old 2006 standard helmets at steep discounts and replacing stock with properly compliant and labelled helmets.

And consumers will face uncertainty. It appears that some consumers will purchase helmets in the next six months with nothing more than the the good faith of the retailer to re-assure them that their new helmet meets the new standard.

Bicycle Network Victoria has confirmed that one distributor has been urging retailers to mislead customers in regard to the provenance of their company's helmets.

In one case only the colour of the helmet box can help the customer differentiate between a compliant and non-compliant version of a helmet.

The bike industry received formal notification of the now-deferred 12 December deadline one year ago. But the changes were long known to be coming because of the publication of a Regulatory Impact Statement in October 2009.

It is a poor reflection on some sectors of the industry that they were ignorant of the coming regulation change.

1990 law

Bicycle helmets became compulsory in Victoria on 1 July 1990. By law, Victorians must wear a helmet that has been approved to Australian Standards.

The law applies on roads, bike paths, bike lanes, shared and segregated footways and in other public places such as recreational parks and car parks.