A helmet must be worn on a shared bike (Daily Mail photo)
Sharing bicycles, as an affordable, economical and efficient way to travel, is not as popular in Australia as many expected, according to the Daily Mail. Now, a loophole in the bike-sharing service may result in high fines for cyclists, or fewer cyclists.
Under Australian law, cyclists are required to wear helmets and will be fined A $300 or more if authorities find they are not wearing protective gear.
The law requires that a helmet be worn and that a bicycle system can be shared without necessarily preparing protective equipment for cyclists. While the largest share-cycle companies are beginning to enter the Australian market, the shared bikes are equipped with a helmet, but more and more are thrown into the streets, and the helmets that are thrown into the river or on the trees are missing.
Ofo, a bike-sharing company, says it has a team to monitor and manage the bike to ensure that every bike is equipped with a helmet. However, consumers may still find bike sharing without helmets from time to time. To comply with local Australian regulations, do not ride bikes without helmets.
The fines imposed on cyclists for not wearing helmets vary from state to territory. The Northern Territory has the lowest fine, with a fine of A $25 for offenders under 17 years of age. The new state fined the highest, to A $319.
Wearing helmets has been shown to reduce head damage by up to 74%.
