France makes cycle helmets compulsory for children aged 11 and under

France is introducing a law that will require children aged 12 and under to wear an approved helmet while riding a bike, whether they are pedalling themselves or being carried as a passenger.

The forthcoming legislation was officially announced in December, with the new law coming into effect from 22 March this year to give families three months to prepare themselves for its introduction.

It is one of 26 measures contained in a report published last October by an interministerial committee for road safety, and is aimed at preventing facial and cranial injuries among children.

Adults who are carrying a non-helmet wearing child on their bike, or who are accompanying a child who is cycling without wearing one, will be liable to a fine of €135.

The law will apply to residents and visitors alike – so if you have children aged 11 and under and go cycling with them while on holiday in France, they will have to wear a helmet.

Opponents of compulsory helmet laws, such as those that apply to all cyclists, including adults, in Australia say that such legislation discourages people from riding a bike in the first place.

As a result, they maintain that requiring people to wear a helmet has a negative impact on the general health of the population that outweighs any perceived benefit in terms of safety.

> More on the helmet debate here