Queensland - Bicycles and Helmets

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

  • Queensland’s law provides a general exemption for Sikhs wishing to ride a bicycle without a helmet.

  • You can ride a bicycle in QLD without a helmet if you:

    • are a Sikh

    • are wearing a turban, and

    • that turban makes it impractical to wear a bicycle helmet.

  • To ride a bike without a helmet, Sikhs need to be wearing a turban that makes it impractical to wear a bicycle helmet. A chotti Dastaar or small turban may not make it impractical to wear a bicycle helmet.

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

Transport Operations (Road Use Management—Road Rules) Regulation 2009

Regulation 256 Bicycle helmets

(1) The rider of a bicycle must wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened on the rider’s head.

Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.

(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 paying passenger on a three- or four-wheeled bicycle.

Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.

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

Maximum penalty—20 penalty units.

(4) A person is exempt from wearing a bicycle helmet under subsection (1) or (2) if the person is carrying a current doctor’s certificate stating that, for a stated period—

(a) the person can not wear a bicycle helmet for medical reasons; or

(b) because of a physical characteristic of the person, it would be unreasonable to require the person to wear a bicycle helmet.

(5) A person is also exempt from wearing a bicycle helmet under subsection (1) or (2) if—

(a) the person is a member of a religious group; and

(b) the person is wearing a type of headdress customarily worn by members of the group; and

(c) the wearing of the headdress makes it impractical for the person to wear a bicycle helmet.

Relevant links (e.g. Media, Academic Papers, Opinions)

  1. Cycling lobby backs helmet rule changes to account for religious beliefs

State specific Sikh bicycle helmet laws: