South Australia - Bicycles and Helmets

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

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

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

    • are a Sikh

    • are wearing a turban

  • An extract of the applicable law regarding helmets and bicycles in South Australia 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.

SA NOTE—

For South Australia, see regulation 34 of the Road Traffic (Road Rules—Ancillary and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2014.

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.

SA NOTE—

For South Australia, see regulation 34 of the Road Traffic (Road Rules—Ancillary and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2014.

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

Offence provision.

Road Traffic (Road Rules—Ancillary and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2014

34 — Sikhs exempt from wearing bicycle helmets

For the purposes of rule 256(1) and (2) (Bicycle helmets), a person of the Sikh religion who is wearing a turban is exempt from wearing a bicycle helmet.

State specific Sikh bicycle helmet laws: