By Greg Higgins

Different helmet rules in province could be confusing and costly

Aug 17, 2016 | 5:00 PM

Different municipalities have different helmet laws for cyclists so if you’re not careful you could end up with a ticket.

Saskatchewan is the only western province without a mandate on bike helmets. The individual municipalities have to govern their cyclists.

For instance, the town of Battleford has no bylaws for helmets at all. A cyclist can ride without one carefree. However, if that same cyclist crossed the bridge into North Battleford they could face a fine.

According to Albert Headrick, director of protective services, North Battleford has a bylaw that states everyone must wear a helmet while cycling or face a $30 dollar fine.

“Kids lead by example,” Headrick said. “If they see adults riding around without a helmet they’ll think what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. It’s dangerous. I’ve done some research on the costs of brain injury and that’s usually the result from bike accidents, especially if they aren’t wearing a helmet.”

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Headrick also said most cycling accidents occur at controlled intersections where cyclists may not be following the rules of the road.

“Cyclists are required to follow the Highway Traffic Act,” Headrick said. “They are a vehicle and have to stop at stop signs. It isn’t surprising that’s where most accidents occur if they’re running stop signs.”

Headrick said there is a $230 fine for any cyclist who runs a stop sign. He added it is tough to enforce because the officers have to witness it happen.

According to the Saskatchewan Brain Injury Foundation, approximately 75 per cent of bicycle fatalities are due to brain injury and wearing a helmet can reduce brain injury by 88 per cent. The foundation also reports Nova Scotia, where wearing a helmet is mandatory for all ages, has 73 per cent helmet use compared to Saskatchewan, with no legislation, which only has 27 per cent helmet use.

According to the Saskatchewan Government Insurance, there are no plans to create a provincial mandate on helmets for cyclists.

Headrick said he and the RCMP are trying to do their part in North Battleford. They run bike rodeos for kids to educate them on bike safety and even hand out coupons for McDonalds when they see kids wearing their helmets while riding.

Greg Higgins is battlefordsNOW’s city municipal affairs and health reporter. He can be reached at ghiggins@jpbg.ca or tweet him @realgreghiggins.