Bicycle Helmets: Educational and Legislative Interventions
to Increase Use in Victoria, Australia

Background

Program Goals:

An integrated approach to increasing bicycle helmet use to reduce the severity of injury in the case of cycling mishaps

Intent:

Unintentional

Risk Factors Addressed:

Head injuries account for the majority and the most severe of bicycle-related injury

Place of occurrence:

Community

Age/Age Range:

All cyclists, with special attention focused upon children and adolescents

Resources

Year Developed:

Broad legislation requiring cyclists to wear approved safety helmet introduced in 1990, following a decade of promotional efforts

Collaborative Organization(s):

Developed and implemented by Victorian Road Traffic Authority (VicRoads)
Police and emergency services 

Funding Resource(s):

Major public funding supplemented by various types of private support, including funding;
Early creation of steering committee of experts, stakeholders and other interests 

Implementation

Context/Setting:

Community

Strategies Used:

Evaluation, Education, Engineering, Enactment

Activities Used:

Likely benefited from earlier and concurrent injury-prevention campaigns, research and developments (e.g. motorcycle helmets; drink-driving; helmet engineering;
Combines educational and legislative approaches;
Helmet rebate schemes highly effective;
Dissemination via mass media, private sector, school systems 

Program Evaluation:

Uses ongoing injury-surveillance data to assess impact of initiative
Data collected and analyzed by university and public research interests 

Source of Best Practice:

Volpe, R., Lewko, J., & Battra, A. (2002). A Compendium of Effective, Evidence-Based Best Practices in Prevention of Neurotrauma. University of Toronto Press, Toronto.

Original Source:

SMARTRISK. (1998). The economic burden of unintentional injury in Canada. Toronto.

Supplementary Material:

N/A

Local Example(s):

N/A

Contact Information:           

Max H. Cameron
Senior Research Fellow
Monash University Accident Research Centre
Melbourne, Victoria
Australia
Tel: 61 3 9905 4373
Fax: 61 3 9905 4363
Max.cameron@general.monash.edu.au

Notes:  

Outcomes

Long-term outcomes/Effectiveness:

Legislation appears to have reduced number of cyclists

Short-term outcomes:

Dramatic increase in helmet wearing rates;
Corresponding reduction in head injuries to cyclists 

Other

Date of Review:

2000

Classification:

Best Practice