Minister for cycling refuses to back pedal in helmet row

Transport minister Norman Baker refused to back down today after sparking a safety row by saying cyclists may be safer not wearing helmets.

He cited research that drivers may go closer to cyclists with helmets than those without, which could put them at greater risk. Mr Baker, whose role includes responsibility for cycling, said: "If your head hits the pavement you may be better off with a helmet.

"On the other hand it may be that drivers drive closer to you and there is more risk of an incident. It's not a one-way street in terms of safety. The jury is out."

The minister stressed that he fully backed the Department for Transport's advice that children should wear a helmet because they are likely to have less road sense and have weaker skulls.

But Mr Baker, a keen cyclist who does not wear a helmet, insisted it was up to adults to choose whether they do or not, adding: "I took a conscious decision when I became cycling minister that I would not change my habits after 45 years of cycling."

Roger Geffen, the Campaigns Director of CTC, the UK's national cyclists' organisation, says cyclists who wear helmets are 14 per cent more likely to have a collision per mile than those without.

But Katharine Hartley of road safety charity Brake said: "We have extensive evidence that helmets are effective in reducing the risk of serious head injury when cycling.

"Wearing a helmet is a really simple step that all cyclists can take. It's highly frustrating to see our minister with responsibility for cycling taking to his bike without a helmet."