Cycle helmets seem optional

The first time I thought it was rather sweet.

I was driving home from work, on a fairly quiet suburban road, and a boy of maybe 9 or 10 rode his bike across the road in front of me.

No helmet, no shoes, one hand on the handlebars while with the other he enthusiastically tucked into a pie.

On a quiet suburban road, with few cars in sight, I thought it was rather nice that kids still enjoyed that kind of freedom.

It's how most of us grew up - heading off on our bikes after school with instructions just not to get too dirty and to be home in time for tea. Bike helmets, in those days, never really came into play.

But things changed since I was a kid - and now, it appears, they've changed back again.

I'm starting to see helmet-less bike riders everywhere, and not just on suburban streets on quiet evenings.

Two BMX riders zipped out in front of me on the roundabout at the north end of Masterton in the dark last week - no helmets, no lights, wearing dark clothing, and riding two abreast.

Not long afterwards I found myself behind a cyclist on Queen St riding in the centre of the lane - again, without a helmet.

On Friday I heard car horns from outside my office window on Chapel St, and looked outside to see two cyclists cruising across the busy intersection with Perry St - no helmets.

I'm not getting at cyclists - I am one, on occasion - but I'm confused as to when helmets went by the wayside as an essential piece of equipment. When did it become acceptable to ride without them? Have we stopped teaching kids about the need for helmets? Do police bother stopping these riders and giving them tickets?

Cyclists and motorists co-exist uneasily on the roads at the best of times, and riders who flout the rules don't help.