>>1198571>>1198710> penal colony > Australia Ausfag here. Ill chime in. Helmets are mandatory here since the late 1980's. During my teenage years i clocked up probably a few THOUSAND DOLLARS worth of helmet fines because: fuck the police. One even escalated into a full 4star GTA pursuit with 6 police cars chasing my ass through the Brisbane valley. I got away. Shit here is insane.
Out of all the cops and judges i have to talked to the only sane rational behind it i have heard is we have essentially a free socialized healthcare here in Australia and severe head cost the state alot of money. Queeny own your head. There have been efforts to repeal it, as cycling infrastructure got better and ride sharing became a thing but nope.
The fines are now counted on as a revenue stream to government and to cops one more to add to their performance quota. It is infact a psuedo bike tax based on shaky evidence. I have been riding in the city for 20 years on the roads and never came close to needing a helmet: the one time i did jumping stairs the helmet i was wearing did not protect my face from the bloody injury i received.
Now i am older i just shut up and wear one to avoid police interaction / Breathalyzer / bag search but would still really like to hurt the fuckers that implemented this "brainless" policy 25 years ago. Obviously not cyclists. Most likely old Women.
