BBC claim not wearing a helmet is illegal

The CTC has picked up on an error in a BBC News report about the clampdown on poor road use in the Capital.

The report includes a reference to fines being issued for, among other things "...not wearing a helmet and using a mobile phone."

Transport for London and the Met Police have confirmed to the CTC that the BBC was wrong to claim that wearing a helmet is a legal requirement.

TfL has said it will be contacting the BBC but the CTC has invited its members to help make sure a retraction is broadcast by sharing their views. There’s no reason why road.cc readers shouldn’t do the same…

Chris Peck from the CTC told road.cc, “Leaving to one side for a moment the debate about whether it makes sense to wear a helmet, there’s still a common misconception that it’s illegal not to. There’s a lot of confusion around this issue and we’re constantly trying to educate people so when opportunities like this arise we try to engage our membership and other engaged cyclists to help spread the word.

“Of course it’s a shame that the retractions and corrections are never quite as prominent as the original mistakes…”