A public consultation on whether helmets should be mandatory for riders/drivers and passengers using trikes in Northern Ireland closes tomorrow,19 August.
The Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland explains that in 2011, owing to increasing public concern about the risk of serious or fatal injuries to motor quadricycle (quad bike) riders involved in collisions on the public road, it had decided to investigate a proposal to make the wearing of helmets on these vehicles compulsory.
Following a consultation exercise which the Department ran in 2012, it was evident that there was support to make it mandatory to wear helmets on quad bikes and decided to implement primary and secondary legislation to require the wearing of helmets by quad bike riders.
The legislative power to mandate the wearing of helmets on quad bikes has been included in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill which will lead to it becoming law.
During the scrutiny of the Bill in the Committee Stage of the Assembly process, officials considered extending the requirement to wear helmets when riding motor tricycles on the public road.
“As the department has not previously consulted on this particular policy proposal, we are keen to hear your views on the proposal that wearing of helmets be made mandatory for riders and/or drivers of, and passengers on, motor tricycles used on public roads, in order to reduce road casualties,” the department says.
Respondents should emails their view to [email protected] today.
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Email: [email protected]