Rugby campaigner's call for change in law to require cyclists to wear helmets goes back to Parliament

A Rugby campaigner’s call for a change in the law to require cyclists to wear helmets has gone back to Parliament.

Oliver Dibsdale’s life was changed forever after he came off his bike and struck his head while cycling to school as a teenager.

Since then he has campaigned to make it compulsory to wear a helmet while cycling – and has been backed by Rugby MP Mark Pawsey.

Using a 10 Minute Rule Bill, a mechanism by which any MP may introduce a bill, Mr Pawsey brought forward the Road Safety (Cycle Helmets) Bill earlier this month.

During the introduction of a Bill, MPs are able to speak for up to 10 minutes about the reasons for the bill and Mr Pawsey used his speech to tell Oliver’s story and how a tragic accident changed the course of his life.

In November 2015, when he was just 15 years old, Oliver came off his bike on High Street in Hillmorton when his foot slipped off the pedal. Because that morning he had not put his helmet on, Oliver suffered a traumatic brain injury and now requires around-the-clock care.

The MP told Parliament that Oliver’s doctor, Dr Badwan, had said that had he been wearing a helmet he may still have been injured, but it would have been a lot less severe.

Mr Pawsey has supported Oliver’s campaigning for a number of years and had secured meetings in August 2022 with ministers in the Department for Transport for Oliver to make his case in person at Westminster.

However, despite recognising the importance of wearing a helmet through the Highway Code, the government said back then that it does not intend to introduce legislation to make it mandatory.

Mr Pawsey’s 10 Minute Rule Bill was supported by a number of MPs from both sides of the House.

Mark said: “Although I appreciate the views of those who think that new legislation would deter cycling or be hard to enforce, Oliver quite rightly points out that other forms of travel on the road have safety legislation, such as the requirement to wear a seatbelt or a ban on using mobile phones while driving.

“All of these are important for safety and with cyclists among the most vulnerable road users any further steps we can take to prevent a future injury like Oliver’s must be worth it.”

Oliver added: “Although a helmet is not 100 per cent effective they are responsible for reducing the odds of a face injury by 33 per cent; a head injury by 51 per cent; a serious head injury by 69 per cent; and a fatal head injury by 65 per cent.

“My life was all normal until that fateful day, when I didn’t wear a helmet and my foot slipped off the pedal. It could happen to anyone.

“Now my life is ruined. I am doing everything I can to stop other families from going through the same upset and heartbreak mine have been through by spreading the word about how vital head protection is when on a human powered vehicle. My life is ruined. I am doing everything I can to stop other families going through the same.”