Northern Territory - Bicycles and Helmets

  • Many Australian states have provided for an exemption from the bicycle helmet requirement for Sikhs that wear a Dastaar.

  • The Northern Territory’s law provides a general exemption for all Territorians wishing to ride a bicycle without a helmet subject to some conditions.

  • If you are a Sikh and 17 or under, you must wear an approved helmet if you are riding on a public place or footpath.

  • If you are a Sikh over 17, you are not required to wear a helmet on a public place or footpath unless riding on the road.

  • An extract of the applicable law regarding helmets and bicycles in Northern Territory is contained below (emphasis added). 

Australian Road Rules

256—Bicycle helmets

(1) The rider of a bicycle must wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened on the rider's head, unless the rider is exempt from wearing a bicycle helmet under another law of this jurisdiction.

Offence provision.

Note—

Approved bicycle helmet is defined in the dictionary.

(2) A passenger on a bicycle that is moving, or is stationary but not parked, must wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened on the passenger's head, unless the passenger is—

(a) a paying passenger on a three or four-wheeled bicycle; or

(b) exempt from wearing a bicycle helmet under another law of this jurisdiction.

Offence provision.

(3) The rider of a bicycle must not ride with a passenger on the bicycle unless the passenger complies with subrule (2).

Offence provision.

Note

The application of this rule is modified by regulation 86 of the Traffic Regulations 1999.

Traffic Regulations 1999

86 Modification of rule 256: helmets for cyclists

(1) For the purposes of rule 256, the requirement to wear an approved bicycle helmet does not apply to a person over 17 years of age if the person is riding or being carried on a bicycle:

(a) on a public place; or

(b) on a bicycle path or shared path; or

(ba) on that part of a road that bisects a bicycle path or shared path; or

(bb) on a crossing; or

(bc) on a road adjacent to a bicycle path, shared path or public place for the purpose of travelling across the road by the shortest practical route in the circumstances; or

(c) in an area declared by the Minister, by notice in the Gazette, to be a bicycle helmet exemption area.

(2) In this regulation, a bicycle path does not include a bicycle lane that is not separated from the part of the road used by motor vehicles by a physical structure or barrier in addition to or in substitution for the lane line.

(3) In this regulation and rule 256, an approved bicycle helmet is a helmet that:

(a) complies with Australian Standard AS/NZS 2063:2008 – Bicycle helmets; or

(b) is approved by the Registrar.

State specific Sikh bicycle helmet laws: