Helmet laws should be enforced year round, says cyclist

A Charlottetown woman who was ticketed for not wearing a bike helmet, says police should enforce the law all the time.

Lynn O’Neill was nabbed during a special enforcement campaign called Operation Headway. It was designed to raise awareness of the use of bike helmets in Charlottetown.

During the month-long operation, officers handed out close to 100 tickets.  People who were not wearing helmets had to either pay a $175 fine or participate in a bicycle safety course.

O'Neill said she's never worn a helmet while biking, and was only caught during the latest crackdown.

"I think that they should enforce it all the time, because I know other people that go out and they're riding their bikes all the time, and they don't have a helmet," said O’Neill.

"And I think that's where safety comes in and you want to make sure you don't get hurt."

In the end O’Neill took the course and said she now wears a helmet while cycling.

Charlottetown Deputy Police Chief Richard Collins agrees helmet enforcement should be carried out all the time.