Forty years ago, the “Motor Cycles (Wearing of Helmets) Regulations 1973 (S.I., 1973, No. 180), dated 7th February 1973”, was enacted – the statutory instrument came into operation on 1st June of the same year.  

On April 5th 1973, the order for this regulation was debated in the House of Commons, with members from either side taking opposite views. Many considered this as a gross infringement of personal liberty.  However, during World War II, Dr Hugh Cairns, a consulting neurosurgeon to the British Army, recommended mandatory helmet use for British Service dispatch riders, who carried instructions and battle reports between commanders and the front lines via motorcycles.  

This recommendation was accepted the British Army and crash helmets became compulsory for all army motorcyclists on duty from November 1941.  

Cairns first became concerned about helmet use after treating the war hero T. E. Lawrence  - otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia, for a fatal head injury suffered during a 1935 motorcycle accident.  

On 31st May 1956, a motion was introduced into the House of Commons “(Helmets to be worn by Drivers and Riders of Motorcycles). After a lengthy debate, this motion was withdrawn. 

However, eleven years later in 1962, in the Road Traffic Bill of that year, there was proposed (on Report) a new clause to give the Minister power to make an order such as the one (wearing of helmets), that had been made and was before the House.  

In the gallery at the House of Commons on that evening in April 1973, were motorcyclists listening carefully to the debate.  

Enoch Powell was noted for his oratorical skills, and for being a maverick. He was a champion of this cause, his powerful intervention in the House of Commons in relation to his opposition to the compulsory wearing of helmets by motorcyclists argued in favour of individual freedom. Although he was not the only MP to oppose this regulation, he was certainly the most eloquent.  

Moving onto the Religious Exemption of Sikhs to wear motorcycle helmets, during the debate in the House of Commons in January 1975, the MP responsible for this bill was Sydney Bidwell MP for Ealing-Southall.

The consequence of this exemption was that one man, Fred Hill was to provide impetus to the recently formed Motorcycle Action Group (MAG UK) to call for the helmet law to be rescinded.  

Fred Hill was born in Yorkshire and spent the war as a dispatch rider before becoming a Mathematics teacher after the war.  

Ian Mutch now President for life of MAG UK wrote about Fred Hill and explained his reasons for refusing to wear a helmet and the price this 'freedom fighter' paid.  

Forty years on, all riders (except Sikhs) are required to wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle in the UK and in fact in most countries throughout the world. Generally it is accepted that in a crash scenario helmets help to prevent injuries. Few people of principle remain from those days in 1973 when the imposition of mandatory helmet use was felt to be unnecessary because the vast majority (88%) of motorcyclists wore helmets anyway and it was felt that this was an abuse of legislative power and removed the freedom of liberties.  

The introduction of the helmet law in the UK was a defining moment for motorcycling because it established precedence for 'safety' legislation for this form of transport.  The latest of which has recently (2012) been enacted into law via the European parliament through the requirement for ABS brakes and mandatory headlights for these vehicles.  

Trevor Baird was the General Secretary of MAG UK. He resigned in 2008 and in his farewell speech to the Annual General Conference that year, said...

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The Heritage Motor Centre is delighted to have reunited a wedding ring with its owner ten days after it went missing and amazingly still intact after its ordeal.

Owen Burdekin, from Leighton Buzzard was visiting the HMC for his works conference on the 16 & 17 January during the heavy snow. On returning to his car he had to clear the windscreen with his hand as it was covered in snow. Only when he returned home did he realise his platinum wedding ring was missing. Realising that it must have fallen off by his car, he telephoned the HMC and explained its possible location.

Staff from the HMC searched for the ring but there was no sign of it. Meanwhile tractors had been out in the same area clearing the snow. Dudley Carter, one of the Security Officers, kept looking out for the ring and nine days later decided to have one final look. Amazingly he discovered it lying in the car-park still intact!

Dudley, who has worked at the HMC for 20 years, stated “I couldn’t believe it when I found the ring on the tarmac. I’m amazed that it wasn’t crushed by one of the tractors! We were delighted to phone up the owner and arrange for the ring to be reunited with him.”

Owen Burdekin stated “This is the second time I have lost my wedding ring; the first was on a pebbled beach and I’m amazed that on both occasions it turned up against the odds! The staff at the HMC were incredibly helpful and I’m so grateful that they found it. The ring barely has a mark on it and is now being professionally polished as a special reward!”

www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

Austrian rider Horst Saiger will make his Mountain Circuit debut in June when he competes in the 2013 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy. The vastly experienced Saiger, Swiss National Champion for the past two seasons, will contest the Superbike, Royal London 360º Superstock and Senior TT races on a 1000cc ZX-10R Kawasaki.

Saiger, whowill run his own team with support from Kawasaki Switzerland, already has considerable road racing experience having been a regular at the Macau Grand Prix over the last few seasons, including a superb fifth place at last year's event, a career best result.

In addition, he made a sensational debut at the 2012 North West 200 road races where he competed in the two Superstock races. Having taken a solid 16th place in the first, damp race, he really proved his road racing credentials in the second race on Saturday with a stunning 10th place and 117mph+ lap, finishing ahead of star names like Gary Johnson, Adrian Archibald, Ian Lougher and Stefano Bonetti.

Hailing from the town of Knittelfeld, Saiger also has vast experience in the Endurance World Championship, having competed in the series for over a decade for high profile teams including YART and former TT competitors Bolliger Kawasaki. An almost ever-present in the top 8 of the Championship, Saiger's results include second overall in 2010, third in 2009 and fourth in 2004 and 2006 with podiums and numerous top five finishes at the Le Mans 24- Hour, Bol d'Or, 8 Hours of Oschersleben, 8 Hours of Qatar and 8 Hours of Albacete.

An International rider of great pedigree, Saiger has also competed in the World Superbike Championship and at the Daytona 200 and his appearance adds further spice to the entry list and reaffirms the status, and appeal, the races again hold.

Commenting on his TT races debut, Horst Saiger said:

"The TT has a very large profile in Austria and Germany and I have already had lots of interest from media and fans in my debut. The Mountain Course is one of the world's most famous race circuits and I am looking forward to testing myself on the track."

Paul Phillips, TT and Motorsport Manager, commented:

"I'm delighted that we have secured the signature of Horst Saiger for the 2013 TT Races. He is a proven international competitor with widespread experience and a great track record. He's already shown his road racing credentials and will be an exciting addition to the 2013 line up who will, I'm sure attract a lot of interest not only in his homeland but also from TT fans around the world."

The 2013 Street riding range of KTM PowerWear is now available through UK dealers.

Consisting of 39 items, the official Street riding collection from the Austrian brand covers everything from head-to-toe (and even underneath) for sports, track, supermoto, urban, commuter, adventure and travel riders.

Along with something to suit all riding disciplines and climates, garments in the collection that aren’t made by KTM have been exclusively transformed ‘Ready to Race’ by leading brands, including Arai and Alpinestars - such as the KTM RX-7 GP helmet (£686.81) and S-MX 5 Boot (£164.17).

With a choice of nine jackets, seven trousers, three leather suits, four helmets, six gloves and four boots, new editions to the Street range include the Urban (£246.68), Pegscratch Evo (£246.68) and Vented (£164.17) jackets. These are available with separate matching trousers or can be zipped to existing ‘riding pants’. The jackets offer huge amounts of functionality and come supplied with CE approved armour.

The 2013 PowerWear catalogue is available from KTM dealers or can be downloaded here. Along with the functional riding equipment, there’s a huge array of casual clothing for men, women and children, as well as a vast assortment of accessories for the true KTM fan.

The government has cut spending on road safety campaigns from £19 million in 2008/09 to just £4 million in 2011/12 – a cut of nearly 80 per cent. 

The figure was revealed after a freedom of information enquiry by road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists.  

The DfT is planning on spending £3.7 million on road safety in the 2012/13 financial year which will see:  

•£53,000 spent on cyclist safety
•£78,000 on child and teenager road safety
•£50,000 on research into young drivers
•£1.275 million on motorcycle campaigns
•£1.685 million on drink-drive campaigns.  

In 2011 the total cost of fatal road accidents was £3.2 billion, with immeasurable emotional and social costs.  

IAM director of policy Neil Greig said: “Right across the public sector road safety is being cut too hard and too quickly, despite the huge returns on investment.  One life saved, saves the economy £1.7 million.  £53,000 is a derisory amount to spend on national cycle safety campaigns. Until we have the right roads infrastructure in place, publicity and education campaigns are one of the few tools we have to help us save cyclists lives.  £78,000 for children’s safety campaigns is virtually insignificant.  If the government is serious about safety for these groups, these amounts must be increased. The successful drink driving and biker campaigns have raised awareness of these issues and they both appear to be working. The government needs to match that kind of expenditure and take the safety of children and cyclists seriously,”