I have been following the Swiss government's proposal to make children under 14 wearing cycling helmets compulsory (Kinder Helmpflicht). To me it is unbelievable, but parliament have deliberately dropped this proposal. I read last week that the Swiss cycling club agreed to drop the idea, with the thinking "If it is obligatory people will fight it. If it is not, then all sensible parents will make their children wear one anyway".... ?!
There is also a law, children under school age may NOT ride on the roads. A new law states that for children to ride on main roads they must be over 6 years old or accompanied by a person over 16 years old.
At the same time the government is bringing harder regulations for speeding and drunken drivers, while leaving the weakest road users without much protection.
Knowing how stupid some parents can be, I believe this optional wearing of helmets will continue to result in brain damaged children. The government can point the finger at parents and now say "It's not our fault."
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The following is the 20min article, translated by Google, I tidied it up a bit..
Children in future do not need when cycling to wear a helmet. The Senate was steered on Monday by the line of the National Council. It had fought since the beginning of the deliberations against a mandatory package of measures by Via Sicura.
The decision of the Council of States against a helmet law for children up to fourteen years, was dropped quietly and without opposition. The National Council had made repeated claims that a helmet law was counterproductive and should rely on the personal responsibility of parents.
In order to approach the parliamentary proceedings of the end of Via Sicura. Even in a further point was that Parliament agreement: children under six years of age may cycle along the main streets only when accompanied by a minimum 16-year-old person.
The little room left on their proposal, in addition to the vague term "busy streets" in the law stipulate. After cycling on the roads right now, "pre-school 'children is completely banned.
A final difference
The bill will now return due to a difference in the last parliament. It is a question whether the authorities have to appoint security officers for the road. The National Council had opposed the creation of such items until now, each with narrow majorities.
The Senate on Monday proposed a compromise: Only the federal government and the cantons will have to appoint a safety officer. The municipalities, however - with the exception of that duty - contrary to the intent of the Federal Council. Transport Minister Doris Leuthard spoke of a "good solution".
Stricter with speeding drivers
The package includes a number of already adopted Via Sicura measures to ensure greater road safety. Cars have to drive with headlights on during day light. From now on it is prohibited to warn of speed traps: on the radio, on GPS, but also in semi-public forums like Facebook or Twitter.
Harder proposals from the Federal Council: in the future car racers will be tackled: they should be punished with up to four years in prison if they, for example, make daredevil overtakingby, are racing, or take part in causing the risk of serious injuries or deaths.
Further, the courts may order the confiscation of the driver's car. A data recorder will be installed for drivers that lose their driving license for a longer time. The strict measures against speeders are also intended as an indirect counter-proposal to the independent people's initiative on victim assistance organization Road Cross.
Blood test is standard
The new requirement will continue to be measured as to whether a motorist has been drinking too much alcohol: In the future this will be done as a rule, from 0.8 per thousand with a breath test. The more elaborate and expensive blood tests are done only in cases of suspected drugs, or if required explicitly by the controlled driver.
After several tragic accidents on pedestrian crossings, the Parliament had also decided that the federal government in the future - may adopt building standards for pedestrian crossings - together with the cantons.
The Parliament rejected that drivers from the age of fifty years in the future must undergo regular eye tests to keep their license. Drivers aged more than seventy years may continue to drive vehicles that have more than eight seats.
Long story
The package of measures Via Sicura has a long history behind it. Already in 2000 the then Minister Moritz Leuenberger's "Vision Zero" was initiated - no fatalities were more objective in the traffic. Of them had to say goodbye but Leuenberger.
It was instead the package of measures Via Sicura, by which the number of fatalities will be reduced by one quarter. In 2008, the package arrived in the consultation and three years later to parliament. Tilted to the consultation from the package were financial instruments, with which the security measures had to be paid.
The number of deaths on Swiss roads was a steady decline in recent years. In 2010, 327 people died yet. The peak was reached in 1971 with 1773 deaths.
There is also a law, children under school age may NOT ride on the roads. A new law states that for children to ride on main roads they must be over 6 years old or accompanied by a person over 16 years old.
At the same time the government is bringing harder regulations for speeding and drunken drivers, while leaving the weakest road users without much protection.
Knowing how stupid some parents can be, I believe this optional wearing of helmets will continue to result in brain damaged children. The government can point the finger at parents and now say "It's not our fault."
__________________________________________________ _________________
The following is the 20min article, translated by Google, I tidied it up a bit..
Children in future do not need when cycling to wear a helmet. The Senate was steered on Monday by the line of the National Council. It had fought since the beginning of the deliberations against a mandatory package of measures by Via Sicura.
The decision of the Council of States against a helmet law for children up to fourteen years, was dropped quietly and without opposition. The National Council had made repeated claims that a helmet law was counterproductive and should rely on the personal responsibility of parents.
In order to approach the parliamentary proceedings of the end of Via Sicura. Even in a further point was that Parliament agreement: children under six years of age may cycle along the main streets only when accompanied by a minimum 16-year-old person.
The little room left on their proposal, in addition to the vague term "busy streets" in the law stipulate. After cycling on the roads right now, "pre-school 'children is completely banned.
A final difference
The bill will now return due to a difference in the last parliament. It is a question whether the authorities have to appoint security officers for the road. The National Council had opposed the creation of such items until now, each with narrow majorities.
The Senate on Monday proposed a compromise: Only the federal government and the cantons will have to appoint a safety officer. The municipalities, however - with the exception of that duty - contrary to the intent of the Federal Council. Transport Minister Doris Leuthard spoke of a "good solution".
Stricter with speeding drivers
The package includes a number of already adopted Via Sicura measures to ensure greater road safety. Cars have to drive with headlights on during day light. From now on it is prohibited to warn of speed traps: on the radio, on GPS, but also in semi-public forums like Facebook or Twitter.
Harder proposals from the Federal Council: in the future car racers will be tackled: they should be punished with up to four years in prison if they, for example, make daredevil overtakingby, are racing, or take part in causing the risk of serious injuries or deaths.
Further, the courts may order the confiscation of the driver's car. A data recorder will be installed for drivers that lose their driving license for a longer time. The strict measures against speeders are also intended as an indirect counter-proposal to the independent people's initiative on victim assistance organization Road Cross.
Blood test is standard
The new requirement will continue to be measured as to whether a motorist has been drinking too much alcohol: In the future this will be done as a rule, from 0.8 per thousand with a breath test. The more elaborate and expensive blood tests are done only in cases of suspected drugs, or if required explicitly by the controlled driver.
After several tragic accidents on pedestrian crossings, the Parliament had also decided that the federal government in the future - may adopt building standards for pedestrian crossings - together with the cantons.
The Parliament rejected that drivers from the age of fifty years in the future must undergo regular eye tests to keep their license. Drivers aged more than seventy years may continue to drive vehicles that have more than eight seats.
Long story
The package of measures Via Sicura has a long history behind it. Already in 2000 the then Minister Moritz Leuenberger's "Vision Zero" was initiated - no fatalities were more objective in the traffic. Of them had to say goodbye but Leuenberger.
It was instead the package of measures Via Sicura, by which the number of fatalities will be reduced by one quarter. In 2008, the package arrived in the consultation and three years later to parliament. Tilted to the consultation from the package were financial instruments, with which the security measures had to be paid.
The number of deaths on Swiss roads was a steady decline in recent years. In 2010, 327 people died yet. The peak was reached in 1971 with 1773 deaths.
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