Bicycles

Bicycle helmets

You must wear a bicycle helmet if you’re using a bicycle, scooter or e-scooter to help protect you.

If you don’t follow these rules, you can be fined.  

When you must wear a helmet

You must wear a helmet when you’re riding on a:

  • bicycle (including e-bike)
  • e-scooter
  • human powered scooter.

It is illegal to ride an e-unicycle, hoverboard or segway on a public road, footpath or shared path in Victoria. 

Choosing a bicycle helmet

When choosing a bike helmet for you or your child, make sure:

  • it is not damaged
  • it fits firmly and comfortably on your head – the gap between eyebrows and helmet should be no more than two fingers wide  
  • the helmet doesn’t tilt too far forwards, backwards or sideways – the rim of the helmet should sit just above your eyebrows
  • the straps around your chin are firm, not slack, and the straps make a ‘v’ just under your ears
  • it has a sticker showing it meets the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2063.

For children’s helmets, measure the size of your child’s head just above your child’s eyes and ears. Select a helmet to fit a head of that size.

View our helmet fit guide.

Exemptions from wearing a bicycle helmet

You may be exempt from wearing a helmet if your religious headdress means a helmet won’t sit correctly on your head..

You may also be exempt for medical reasons. If so, you must carry a medical certificate from your doctor when you ride. This certificate may expire if you have a short-term condition. Relevant medical conditions may include:

  • severe skin conditions
  • hearing aids or bionic ears
  • a head that is larger than normal
  • a head injury that may be more painful while wearing a helmet.  

Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of a serious head injury

In 2016, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) issued a statement supporting mandatory bicycle helmet laws. The AHPPC is made up of the chief health officers of each Australian state and territory.  

Also in 2016, a comprehensive, systematic review of 40 helmet-related studies was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. The review found bicycle helmets reduce the chances of a serious head injury by almost 70 per cent.  

Two years after introducing bicycle helmet laws in 1990 there was:

  • a 16 per cent reduction in head injuries in metropolitan Melbourne
  • a 23 per cent reduction in head injuries in Victoria.  

Rules for helmets

The rules for helmets are published the Road Safety Road Rules 2017:

  • Part 14: division 2, rule 244B – Wearing of helmets and other requirements for users of scooters
  • Part 14. division 3, rule 244P – Wearing of bicycle helmets by persons travelling on electric personal transporters
  • Part 15, division 1, rule 256 – Bicycle helmets
  • You may be fined for not wearing a bicycle helmet.