Girl's cycle helmet plea after brother's death

Amelia, 12, wants the law changed to make cycle helmets mandatory

A Beverley schoolgirl has called for more cyclists to wear helmets following the death of her brother in a crash aged 15.

Riley died after hitting his head on a kerb when his bike was involved in a collision with a car in 2021.

In a letter read to her school assembly, Amelia, 12, said: "I just wish my big brother had a helmet on that night".

Amelia said cycle helmets should be mandatory by law and wearing one should be as automatic putting on a car seatbelt or a riding hat.

Amelia believes Riley would still be alive if he had been wearing a helmet

Riley had been out with friends on Molescroft recreation ground when the crash happened on 8 April 2021. He died in hospital a few hours later.

His mum VJ said: "There was just no saving him. He had a head injury to the front of his head and a head injury to the back. He'd hit the car the front ways and he'd hit the back of it on the kerb."

Amelia was nine years old at the time and said losing her brother was traumatic.

She said she now wants to see cycle helmets become law.

"We want to make the people who don't wear helmets look the stupid ones, but people don't wear helmets and you want them to just automatically put them on instead of people having to tell them to put them on," Amelia said.

Amelia's mum VJ says she is incredibly proud of her daughter

Steve Cole, director of policy, campaigns and public affairs at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said 91 cyclists died on the UK's roads in 2022.

“While everyone has the right to choose whether they wear a helmet, the evidence shows us that they can more than halve the risk of a traumatic brain injury," Mr Cole said.

“However, it’s important to note that helmets alone do not prevent crashes from happening, and poor infrastructure can often be to blame for collisions."

Mr Cole called on the government to "publish its long overdue road safety strategy and to invest in safe infrastructure".

Sophia, Amelia and Billie hope to save at least one life with their campaign

Humberside Police said no charges had been brought against the driver of the car that collided with Riley and caused his catastrophic injuries.

Amelia said she and her friends were determined to spread their message about cycle helmets to all schools in Beverley and beyond in the hope they can save just one life.

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