Australia: judge agrees helmet laws are unnecessary

[anothereye]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/heady-freedom ... 13vz2.html

[Guy951]

Excellent!

Now send a copy of that article to Headway to see what they make of it. (Or will they just ignore it because it doesn't fit in with their blinkered view of the efficacy of the plastic tortoise )

[georgew]

Oh Dear.......... I'm not sure about this at all. I already spend many sleepless nights worrying about the hordes of Belgian families I see pedalling around helmet-less in that country as if they hadn't a care in the world. It just can't be right.

[meic]

Did anybody actually understand what the appeal Judge's decision was?

He said that the woman is guilty but the conviction is quashed, I am lost.

Shouldnt a Judge obey and enforce the law no matter how dumb it is?
I thought it was up to politicians to decide what the law should be NOT judges.

Although I respect the Judge for saying what he thinks.

[Edwards]

I think the judge might have had to decide with law took precedent over the other.
An example here is the voting rights of prisoners and the Court of Human Rights that was signed up to.
So this could well set a precedent here for the politicians to avoid Human Rights problems as well.
It all depends which court is higher the local one or the Human Rights one. He must have decided the correct way.

[yakdiver]

I wonder why they sell eggs in boxes

[kwackers]

I wonder why they sell eggs in boxes

Same reason they package your brain in a skull - millions of years of evolution to create the perfect balance between protection, mass and radius.
Why muck with it?

[hubgearfreak]

I wonder why they sell eggs in boxes

because they've not been adapted by evolution to tavel from nest to supermarket, into a carrier bag and then to the kitchen?
because they haven't any hands to put out in the event of a fall, or the sense to do it if they had
because they don't find them uncomfortable & inconvienient
because they don't sweat or have any hair

[nickp]

I wonder why they sell eggs in boxes

So far its not illegal to sell eggs without a box. A box might well be sensible but its not mandatory.

Different for baby eggs, mind you ...

[Ellieb]

Nice to see beaking news... especially from august last year

[StopHeadway]

In answer to the question further up, the judge found the offence proven - that is, it was not overturned because it was unproven (lack of evidence, say, or a dodgy witness).

Instead he did something much more powerful, which is quash the conviction on the grounds that disobeying the law was a reasonable thing to do. Effectively this removes the helmet law in this jurisdiction (because it sets the precedent for everyone else who comes to court).

In answer to the weird question below it - because people still buy eggs when they are in boxes. That's all there is to be said on that front really.

[Vorpal]

I wonder why they sell eggs in boxes

hmmm. Carrying my head around in a box could be tricky.

[meic]

Yes, but if it saves just one child's life it will have been worth it.

[Cunobelin]

Yes, but if it saves just one child's life it will have been worth it.

I couldn't agree more!

[Jon Lucas]

I've just dug out this thread from 2011, which I didn't see at the time (and see there was a similar one in 2010), because I wanted to find out if anyone on this forum knows how strictly the helmet laws are enforced there now. I'm asking because two of my brothers live in Australia and one of these days I will, no doubt, make the journey there to visit them. If I did, I would obviously wish to use the opportunity to cycle in the country, and would certainly not wear a helmet, whatever the law says.