Wiggins calls for helmet law

Politicians and cyclists have entered a debate about wearing safety helmets, after gold medal winner Bradley Wiggins suggested they should be made compulsory.

His comments follow the death of a cyclist who collided with an Olympic shuttle bus.

Wiggins said a lot of London's bike riders don't help themselves by the way they behave on the road.

Ronke Phillips reports.

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The Mayor of London has said there are no plans to make it compulsory to wear a cycling helmet.

Boris Johnson's comments came after Olympic gold medal winner Bradley Wiggins claimed it should be made law for all cyclists to wear the head gear.

Ronke Phillips has the story.

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A man killed in an accident near the Olympic Park last night is believed to be the 10th cyclist to die in London this year.

Bike safety campaigners say that is the same number as the whole of 2010.

Last year 16 cyclists were killed on London's roads.

Police say an inquest will be opened and adjourned at Poplar Coroner's Court today. A post-mortem examination will take place tomorrow.

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The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, says there are currently no plans to bring in a law making it compulsory for cyclists to wear helmets.

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• Mayor of London

Bradley Wiggins has sparked a massive debate in the world of cycling, after suggesting that it should be compulsory for bike-users to wear helmets.

Many cycling campaign groups and charities have made it clear that they don't agree with the Olympic time trial champion.

Cycling charity CTC tweeted: "Mandatory helmets would not be helpful - everyday cycling would collapse and there would be no change in driver attitude/behaviour. "

They continued: "Not sure it is useful to give so much credence to views of gold medallist on road safety - how about Steve Redgrave on the Costa Concordia?"

The London Cycling Campaign also weighed in, saying: the "Helmet debate is [a] damaging diversion from real issues".

And Carlton Reid, the executive editor of cycling website Bike Biz, slapped down the idea too.

He said: "Bicycle helmets are designed for low speed crashes from head height to the ground and offer next to no protection in smashes with motor vehicles.

"However, this fact did not prevent Bradley Wiggins urging helmet compulsion for all cyclists, a measure that many studies show would offer no whole-population health benefits."

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• London Cycle Campaign

Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins has called for cycling helmets to be made compulsory.

He was asked for his opinion on bike safety last night, after a cyclist was killed in an accident outside the Olympic Park.

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