Why it is so important to wear a bike helmet

Ballarat cyclist Luke Taylor knows this all too well.

It was a Saturday morning in May 2017 when the trajectory of Mr Taylor's life changed forever.

He was riding his bike that morning and had reached the intersection of Cuthberts and Whites Road in Cardigan when he was struck by a ute and thrown about 25 metres from the point of impact.

He sustained life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Melbourne's The Alfred Hospital.

He lost a lot of blood and was resuscitated on arrival, with surgeons then operating on him for about 16 hours before placing him in an induced coma.

Just over three years later and Mr Taylor is still in recovery.

Since the accident, he has had about 23 surgeries and will continue to have more in the future so that he can continue to walk.

While he has an acquired brain injury as a result of the accident, he knows "without a doubt" that he would be dead without the protection from the helmet he was wearing.

Last year he received the bike and helmet he was using on the day of the accident back from investigators. One side of the helmet is severely damaged, while the other has gravel impregnated into the foam.

"It just shows how effective they are and how heavy the hit was," he said.

While a helmet saved his life, the accident has had an immeasurable impact on the 37-year-old's life.

"It was a complete pivot point in my life. I was heading in one direction and now, me, my son and my family and friends are all coming along for the ride in a different direction because through no fault of my own, I've been set off on a different trajectory altogether.

"Not only did my body get smashed, but my entire life got smashed to pieces that morning," Mr Taylor said.

"The accident doesn't finish when the ambulance drives off or the helicopter takes off. For me, it goes on and on and it will for the rest of my life."

According to the Transport Accident Commission, nine cyclists have died so far this year compared to eight at the same time last year.

Between January 2010 and June 2019, there have been two cyclist fatalities and 54 claims for hospitalisation across the region (incorporating Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Moorabool and Pyrenees).

Across Victoria, there were 3,970 claims for hospitalisation for the same period.

Last year, 11 cyclists died in crashes on Victorian roads while 421 riders were hospitalised with injuries.

Though the numbers of cyclists involved in traumatic road incidents in this region is small compared to the rest of the state, the impact on those involved in road trauma is huge.

Mr Taylor was working as a building designer at the time of the accident, but has been unable to resume his career due to successive surgeries and rehabilitation time.

He has also been unable to focus on other things he loved prior to the accident, though has been able to jump back on the bike.

Riding and racing around Ballarat all of his life, cycling has also formed a big part of his rehabilitation.

Mr Taylor, who is currently preparing for three operations, will require serious and painful surgeries for the rest of his life - but it is the only way to keep his body functioning and for him to continue to walk.

In addition to bone lengthening procedures, Mr Taylor has also been diagnosed with a chronic condition which means some of his bones continue to 'repair' themselves from fractures which do not exist.

As his bones grow into the muscle and the tendons, doctors must periodically chisel them back down.

"I had no idea that a traumatic road accident would be this chronic in its nature prior to 2017," Mr Taylor said.

Each surgery takes a significant amount of time to recover from, and requires the construction of ramps around his home for him to manoeuvre a wheelchair and access the bathroom.

Mr Taylor said often accidents, such as in his case, were the result of a road user making a mistake - which could have a horrific impact on others.

He urged all cyclists to wear personal safety equipment, including a helmet, and to be consistent and predictable in the behaviour on the roads.

The TAC's Head of Road Safety, Samantha Cockfield, agreed and said the human body was simply not designed to survive the impact speeds of common crash scenarios.

"If we are involved in a crash as a cyclist, we do not have the advantage of a car cabin, or safety features like airbags," Ms Cockfield said.

Numerous studies have proven that wearing a helmet will offer significant protection to a cyclist involved in a collision.

While a high impact collision between a moving vehicle and a cyclist will result in multiple traumas, a helmet will reduce the impact of the head striking the vehicle or road surface.

"Our heads are particularly vulnerable in a crash," Ms Cockfield said. "Helmets are the only protection cyclists have when something unexpected happens and if that protection is removed, the risk of serious injury or death significantly increases."

Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club president Tim Canny said he knows many cyclists whose lives have been saved by wearing a helmet.

"Wearing a helmet should be critical to every bike rider and their safety on the road," he said.

The club has a strict policy that all riders must wear a helmet if participating in a race - road, track, mountain bike, BMX or cyclocross - while it is also encouraged that riders wear them when training.

Cyclists failing to wear helmets is a concern for police.

Senior Sergeant Stuart Gale, the road policing advisor for the region, said with cycling becoming more and more popular and with cycling infrastructure planned for Ballarat, it was important for people to abide by the law.

Cyclists are not just recommended to wear a helmet, it is the law. Failing to wear a helmet could result in a $207 fine.

"We continue to see people ride without helmets so it is important for the older generations to set a good example to younger generations," Senior Sergeant Gale said.

While there is no specific penalty dedicated to riding too close to a cyclist, police assess the whole situation and may apply other road rules.

A driver or rider must pass any vehicle at a safe distance so as to avoid a collision or obstructing the path of the overtaken vehicle.

As part of a program involving police visiting schools, Leading Senior Constable Des Hudson teaches pupils about how to minimise risk as a cyclist and that wearing a helmet is compulsory.

An important part of this is teaching children how to resist peer pressure and the idea that wearing a helmet is "not cool".

Mr Taylor said it was important for all road users to think of others - whether it be a cyclist, motorist or pedestrian - as people.

"At the end of the day we are all people with a history. We all have a family to come home to, or are valued by someone. So we all need to have a duty of care on the roads," he said.

"Nobody expects to go out and not to come home."

Ms Cockfield said cyclists were vulnerable road users and even when riding on a track of path at low speed, there were risks such as reversing vehicles, pedestrians or animals.

"It's important to remember cyclists and vehicle drivers have equal rights to use the road, and each have an obligation to take care of other road users," she said.

Mr Taylor said roads were a public domain and every road user had an obligation to use them with care.

"For all road users, and cyclists are a part of that, there is an obligation to follow the laws that are in place to protect road users in what is a really, really dangerous environment," he said.

"Every individual road user has an obligation to share that environment in a safe, respectful manner."