Conducted in August and September of this year, the Bicycle Network survey of almost 20,000 people also found 30 per cent of people would ride a bike more if the mandatory helmet laws were changed.

Currently under the law, it is compulsory to wear a helmet whenever riding a bike in Australia, excluding the Northern Territory.

The results have led Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm to call for an overhaul of the current laws.

“The helmet law is an insult to our civil liberty,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.

“Adults should be free to manage the risks involved in a bike ride and not have the government imposing laws to protect us from ourselves.”

In contrast, Brain Injury Association of Tasmania chief executive Deborah Byrne said the survey showed more education was needed on the wider impact of brain injuries.

“Given there is robust, scientific evidence which states that the correct wearing of a bicycle helmet can reduce the risk of brain injury by 70 percent, BIAT’s ‘position’ is that the wearing of helmets should remain compulsory,” she said.

“Particularly as it is the public purse that ‘wears’ the financial, social and emotional costs of a person sustaining a brain injury. 

“The state government estimate the costs, over their lifetime, of an 18-year-old sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a car crash, to be $12.5 million.”

Launceston’s vibrant cycling community was showcased this month as part of the annual Festival of Cycling. 

Tamar Bicycle Users Group president Malcolm Reid said the feedback from the survey was not consistent with his conversations with other cyclists in the area.

“Personally, I am surprised by these results,” he said.

“I’ve never had anyone come up to me in Launceston and say that the reason they don’t ride a bike is because of helmets

“TBUG’s position on this is the same as it has always been, which that it supports the compulsory wearing of helmets.

“Launceston’s topography and environment means that it makes sense to wear a helmet every time you go out.”