OI, PUT ON YOUR HELMET
DARWIN is the worst city in the country for helmetwearing on scooters and bikes, new research has shown, and a third of Territorians aren’t even aware helmets are mandatory.
It’s prompted e-scooter and e-bike company Neuron to offer up $100,000 in rewards for riders who do the right thing.
The study, commissioned by Neuron, found 11 per cent of Territorians wouldn’t wear a helmet despite knowing they were mandatory.
That was well above the national average of 3.5 per cent.
The study of 1000 people also found 37.5 per cent of Territorians were unaware that helmets were mandatory in the NT.
Speaking from a Scoot Safe event being held at the Darwin Waterfront, Neuron Darwin manager Lachlan McLean said the company wanted to try to raise awareness of helmets being mandatory.
“We provide helmets on all the scooters and people know they are there,” Mr McLean said.
“It seems to be a common misconception that you don’t have to wear it.”
The survey found 28 per cent of injuries on e-scooters were to the head and neck, highlighting the risk of scooter accidents.
“On the back of these surveys we have seen that education is key, so we just want to engage with the community to remind them and educate them about the importance of wearing a helmet,” Mr McLean said.
Australian Road Safety Foundation chief executive Russell White said that while Darwin residents had embraced e-scooters, they needed reminding to wear a helmet.