Make cycle helmets compulsory, says Sir Bradley Wiggins

Olympic cycling stars Sir Bradley Wiggins and Laura Trott say more should be done to make cycling safer.

Sir Bradley told Newsround that helmets should be compulsory on the road and that it should be "illegal to have an iPod in while you're riding your bike".

The government wants 10% of all journeys to be made by bike by 2025 - but Get Britain Cycling says people don't feel safe enough on the roads.

Laura Trott told Newsround that cycling should be taught in schools.

She said: "That would help younger kids especially, if we could get it in the national curriculum once a week."

Earlier this month the government promised £94 million to be invested in making cycling easier in England.

The money will be used to improve existing cycle paths and fund new ones, with Primer Minister David Cameron saying he wanted to start "a cycling revolution".

Controversy

Some people say that wearing helmets can make cyclists too confident, and make them take more risks - and also that drivers treat cyclists wearing helmets differently.

Some also argue that making it compulsory to wear a helmet could actually put people off riding their bikes.

How would you make cycling safer?

• How do you stay safe when riding your bike?

• Do you have an idea to make cycling safer?

Your comments

I think we should make seats safer because someone could fall off and hurt themselves. I also think that you should have knee and elbow pads for cycling because you could also fall off.

Fred, London, England

I don't think that everyone should wear a helmet for cycling because there are too many health and safety rules and also you would have to buy a helmet which cost money. I enjoy cycling but I wouldn't if you had to wear an uncomfortable helmet!

Zara, Northwich, England

No cyclist wears helmets in the Netherlands, and still cycling is very safe there. It is all about infrastructure and respect between road users.

Bas, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

I think all cyclists should wear a helmet and never should listen to music or be on the phone when they are cycling so no accidents happen. I also think there should be a wall or fence stopping cars from hitting cyclists or a bigger pavement with a cycling path.

Heidi, London, England

I think that there should be signs to tell you if a road is dangerous to cycle on.

Cara, Buckinghamshire, England

In some countries they have a bit of road and a traffic light especially for cyclists. I got a level 2 in bike ability but I still don't think I feel safe.

Elizabeth, Kent, England

I think you should always wear a helmet and you should have a supervisor in case you get hurt. I only ride my bike to the park when my mum's there so that she can keep an eye on me.

Lucy, Birmingham, England

I was on holiday in France and they had proper wide cycle lanes which are separate from the road and they were really good because there was no worry of cars. In London they just have small blue lanes which cars just go in anyway.

Oscar, London, England

I bike to school every day and normally I find that there are a lot of lorries/trucks in the cycle lane. It would be nice if there was a law about them being in the cycle lane. It would certainly make me feel safer.

Jo, London, England

I always wear my helmet and I think that everyone should. In Australia it is mandatory to wear one whatever your age. Having bike only paths can make cycling a lot safer too.

Charlotte, Darwin, Australia

I think we should have more bike only paths and bike signs so cars know that bikes might be around that area.

William, Kettering, England

I think you should have a light on at night. You should always wear a helmet and safety pads on your knees and elbows!

Gennie, Manchester, England

I think more people should be taught how to cycle safely because it's good exercise and people shouldn't be put off just because they don't know how to do it.

Ruth, Cornwall, England

At my school, in Year 6 we had Bike Ability which is a cycling test and a lesson during the afternoons to help you be safer on the roads so you or another driver is in no danger. Maybe all schools should do that?

Rachel, Essex, England

I think you should not be allowed on your phone while you are cycling. Also, you should really not listen to music because it could distract you.

Megan, North Lincolnshire, England

I think children should cycle more. I wear a helmet but older children tend to think that they are not fashionable enough.

Amy, Portsmouth, England

I think on every pavement there should be one half of it for cyclers, and one for pedestrians. However, they'd have to make the pavements bigger than before.

Isobel, Nottingham, England

I think we should have more cycle paths, especially leading to schools and places of work. There need to be cycling rules that you must follow, like you must wear a hi-vis jacket and you must cycle with a grown-up if you are under a certain age.

Jessica, Southampton, England

If I'm on a road that I know is safe I will ride on it but when it's not safe, I don't listen to music as I am always concentrating on the road and I stay as close to the curb as possible. To make it safer I would suggest a lane for cyclists.

Lynzie, Hartlepool, England

I think the Government should make a special cycle lane for bikes. With a fence between the cycle lane and normal road, so cyclists can not worry about not being safe next to a busy road.

Adam, North Yorkshire, England

I feel quite safe cycling on the roads, I only really get intimidated on busy roads and when cycling next to lorries and other big things. I think that I would definitely feel safer if there were more cycle lanes about.

John, Sheffield, England

I think that cars and lorries can't go past cyclists at more than 10mph, also that there should be a bike lane rather than a yellow line. My last thing is laws that no cyclists should have their iPod on, as then they don't put all their concentration on the road.

Aimee, Croydon, England

I love cycling but I only go near to my house because I don't feel safe on the main roads. There should be more cycle lanes on main roads and in those places the speed limit should be lowered for cars.

Josh, Ashbourne, England

I know how to cycle safely and I've been doing cycling lessons recently. I sometimes cycle on roads but I want there to be cycling tracks on busier roads and less cars on A roads and motorways. If I were prime minister I would ban cars completely and make turbo powered cars burning hydrogen gas but some cyclists should be careful themselves.

Anthony, Enfield, England

I think there should be more cycle lanes like there is in Holland.

Cara, Fife, Scotland

I don't think cycling needs to be made safer because me and a couple of mates cycle to school every day and I cycle in the holidays as well and I have always felt safe on the road because I have passed my cycling proficiency, so I know what to do. Also there shouldn't be a law so that you can't have an iPod on because I use mine as a sort of motivation and if you're cycling properly you look for cars. You shouldn't have to wear a helmet because half the time people I see on the road are wearing them wrong so it wouldn't make a difference if they fell off.

James, Lancaster, England

I feel much safer on the country roads and when there are no cars round me but if there is a car right behind me, I will get on to the path I love cycling!

Vicky, Norfolk, England

Make more cycle lanes, and ban using phones or ipods while cycling.

Matthew, Newcastle, England

I'd like to see more cycle paths in useful areas like on my way to school. I have just been on holiday to France where i have used their cycle paths, I was able to cycle in safety for miles.

Amber, Essex, England

I think everyone should wear reflecting jackets and have some flashing lights on the bike to be able to be seen.

Hermione, London, England

It should be illegal to not wear a helmet and you must wear at least one high-vis piece of clothing. You must also pass a basic cycling test like; stop at red lights, cycle in cycling lanes etc.

Carys, London, England

I always wear a helmet. I think they should have more cameras to catch the drivers getting to close to bikes and more cycle lanes because in Portsmouth there are hardly any.

Lewis, Portsmouth, England

I do a lot of cycling mainly on trails but when I'm on the road there's no cycle lanes and the drivers don't obey the speed limit, meaning it's too dangerous to cycle along the road.

Harry, Cornwall, England

I think there should be more cycle paths on the road because we always get worried about getting run over.

Lydia, Birmingham, England

I think on every road there should be a cycling lane.

Finan, Llandudno, Wales

To make cycling safer I would get schools to do more cycling lessons, and encourage more kids to cycle to school.

Lucy, London, England

I think cars should become more aware of cyclists on the road and not go crazily fast and close by the cyclist. They also should notice that it is scary cycling on a busy road.

Callum, Wokingham, England

We think that cyclists should wear helmets, because most of the time in a accident, cyclists aren't and its giving many cyclists a bad name.

Lucy and Maddy, Leicester, England

I think there should be more cycle paths.

Katie, Bath, England

I think everybody should wear a helmet and have a light at night. I compete in loads of races so I know how safe you need to be to be able to train properly.

Felix, France

I think that schools from all around the country have a safety day, where children learn how to keep safe on roads, streets and even have a chance to earn their cycling proficiency. I also think there should be a new law which states that everyone has to where a helmet if they're cycling.

Charlotte, London, England

There should be roads that only cyclists could ride on, cars and horses wouldn't be allowed.

John, Worcestershire, England

I think there should be more cycling lanes on main roads and motorways.

Sofia, Surrey, England

I think to make cycling safer you should wear a helmet and if you are still a beginner, learn in a park or your garden.

Liza, Norwich, England

I wear my helmet. I never cycle near busy roads, I only go round the quiet ones. I think that people who are cycling properly should have something like a number plate so that in busy areas if they don't wait at the red light they can get fined. Not many cyclists wait.

Charlotte, Kent, England