Lawmakers must pass legislation requiring cyclists to wear helmets following the success of motorcycle helmet regulations, public health experts said.
The number of people cycling in Taiwan has increased over the past few years, as the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) recommends cycling for exercise and as an environmentally friendly form of transportation.
Current regulations do not require wearing a helmet while cycling.
Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, AFP
A 2017 Ministry of Transportation and Communications survey found that 24.2 percent of people aged 12 or older frequently ride bicycles, amounting to about 5.11 million people.
However, only 11.7 percent of people reported always wearing a helmet while cycling, while 80.4 percent reported never or almost never wearing a helmet.
A 2021 HPA survey found that 96.4 percent of people aged 12 or older wear helmets when riding motorcycles and scooters to prevent injuries from traffic accidents.
Former minister of health and welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達), who had advocated for scooter helmet laws, on Sunday last week said that the mortality rate from crashes for cyclists who do not wear helmets is three times higher than those who do.
About 5,000 bicycle accidents occur every year, accounting for 2,000 to 3,000 head injuries and about 300 deaths, Chiu said.
About 200 of those fatalities are due to head injuries, he said.
Kuan Shang-yung (關尚勇), a physician at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said that the 11.7 percent of cyclists who always wear helmets are likely cycling enthusiasts.
Taiwanese often overlook the importance of helmets, he added.
Even cycling along riverside paths can be dangerous, he said, recounting a case in which a woman fell off a bicycle and hit her head on a path, sustaining an intracranial hemorrhage and falling into a coma.
“Helmets are not a choice, but a basic safety measure,” he said.
People who ride public bicycles rarely wear helmets at all, Kuan said.
The success of legislation mandating helmets for motorcyclists shows that there is no reason to disregard the safety of cyclists, he said.
Japan began requiring cyclists under the age of 13 to wear helmets in 2008 and updated traffic regulations in April 2023 to promote helmets for all cyclists.
With Taiwan’s experience regulating helmets for motorcyclists, its bicycle helmet regulations could surpass Japan’s, Chiu said.
Wearing helmets should be mandatory for cyclists, he said.
Regulations could be implemented in stages, beginning with children, supported by safety campaigns at schools and bicycle helmet subsidies, before gradually being expanded to cover everyone, he said.
A Taipei resident, surnamed Hung (洪), who often uses public bikes to commute, said she would not mind being required to wear a helmet, but using public bikes must remain convenient.
She suggested that helmets should be available with public bicycles, such as is common with motorcycle sharing services.
“The problem is where to put them and whether they would get dirty or stolen,” she said.
Helmet rental machines, as are available in some places in Japan, are also an option, Chiu said.
Spain, France and the UK have developed folding helmets to address similar issues, he added.
As folding helmets are more expensive, costing NT$2,000 to NT$4,000 each, rental services are a better option, he said.
The government could initially provide a subsidy for helmet rentals, he said, adding that in Seattle, the government subsidized the renting of helmets for public bicycles, making them available for US$2.
HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said that protecting public health has always been the agency’s top priority, and that it would continue to promote the issue.
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