$22 Bluey helmet revealed as the safest for kids under new five-star system for NSW bicycle riders
A new bicycle helmet safety rating system is set to be rolled out in NSW, with a $22 Bluey helmet topping the list.
NSW
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A $22 Bluey helmet has been found to be the safest headwear for bicycle-riding kids, under a new rating system to be unveiled on Wednesday.
Proving safety and price don’t necessarily have to correlate, the Bluey helmet topped its category under the NSW Government’s new Helmet Safety Testing and Assessment Ratings (STAR) framework – a new initiative based off the ANCAP scheme for cars.
Helmets in NSW will be given a rating from one to five stars, with their score dictated after testing at Transport NSW’s crash lab.
Each piece of equipment is rated after being put through its paces including tests simulating a helmeted-head hitting the road as if in a bicycle crash.
One star means a helmet “meets the crash protection required by recognised helmet standards” in Australia, while five stars means the helmet is “exceptional in crash protection and well above the recognised helmet standards”.
Ratings for 61 helmets have been completed so far, with the Bluey headwear topping the category for children’s helmets.
The new program fulfils a recommendation from a coronial inquest into the death of Sydney man James Roberts, who suffered an “unsurvivable brain injury” when he fell from his bicycle in 2019, despite wearing a helmet at the time.
Roads Minister John Graham said cars had had star safety ratings since 1993, while in NSW there was also ratings for motorcycle safety gear and children’s car seats.
“It is good news for riders and parents that this new star rating program brings the same simplicity and peace of mind to bicycle helmets,” he said.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said while helmets in Australia already had to meet minimum safety standards, the new scheme would highlight which are the best.
“The price of a new helmet doesn’t always indicate how safe it is. This new safety rating gives bike riders and parents the information they need to make an informed choice on what helmet is safest, and best for them,” she said.
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