Helmet legislation and helmet use, stratified by age group, in Canadian provinces and territories
| Jurisdiction | Helmet legislation | Helmet use (%)* | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages included | Year in force | Youths, ages 12–17 | Adults, ages 18+ | |
| Alberta | <18 | 2002 | 68.6 | 53.9 |
| British Columbia | All | 1996 | 66.1 | 71.3 |
| Manitoba | None† | 27.7 | 30.0 | |
| New Brunswick | All | 1995 | 63.8 | 61.8 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | None‡ | 50.9 | 51.7 | |
| Nova Scotia | All | 1997 | 77.8 | 74.8 |
| Ontario | <18 | 1995 | 53.4 | 41.2 |
| Prince Edward Island | All | 2003 | 72.8 | 59.0 |
| Quebec | None§ | 33.5 | 35.3 | |
| Saskatchewan | None¶ | 36.8 | 30.3 | |
| Territories: Nunavut, Northwest, Yukon | None** | 32.9 | 47.7 | |
*Per cent of people who reported wearing a bike helmet always or most of the time when they bicycled, 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey.
†Helmet legislation for ages <18 was enacted in Manitoba in 2013 (after the study period) under the Highway Traffic Act.
‡Five cities in Newfoundland and Labrador (representing ∼30% of the provincial population) had helmet by-laws for all ages during the study period. A province-wide all ages helmet law will take effect from 1 April 2015 under the Highway Traffic Act.
§One city in Quebec (representing <0.5% of the provincial population) had a helmet by-law for all ages during the study period.
¶One city in Saskatchewan (representing ∼1.5% of the provincial population) had a helmet by-law for all ages during the study period.
**Two cities in the territories (representing ∼30% of the territorial population) had helmet by-laws for all ages during the study period.