Summary
Proposal to make the wearing of helmets mandatory for riders and/or drivers of, and passengers on, motor tricycles used on public roads
Documents
- Proposal to mandate the wearing of helmets on motor tricycles-2015
- Proposal to mandate the wearing of helmets on motor tricycles 2015 - consultation response question form
Consultation description
In 2011, due to increasing public concern about the risk of serious or fatal injuries to motor quadricycle (quad bike) riders involved in collisions on the public road, the Department decided to investigate a proposal to make the wearing of helmets on these vehicles compulsory.
Following a consultation exercise which the Department ran in 2012, it was evident that there was support to make it mandatory to wear helmets on quad bikes, giving riders on such vehicles much better head protection and helping to reduce serious injuries or fatalities. The Department decided that the appropriate way forward was to implement primary and secondary legislation to require the wearing of helmets by quad bike riders.
The legislative power to mandate the wearing of helmets on quad bikes has been included in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill. The Bill is currently going through the required stages of the Northern Ireland Assembly process for primary legislation. Once the Bill has been enacted, the next step for the Department will be to implement subordinate legislation to give effect to this policy decision and to mandate the wearing of helmets on quad bikes in secondary legislation.
Ways to respond
Consultation closed — responses are no longer being accepted.