This factsheet explains the requirements set out in the The Official New Zealand Road Code . For additional information on cycling people can refer to The Safe Cycling Book or The Official New Zealand Road Code . Copies of these publications are available from libraries and bookshops.
Cyclists share the roads with motor vehicles.
For their own safety, and the safety of other road users, cyclists and their cycles are required to comply with certain safety requirements. In addition to ordinary road rules, cyclists are also obliged to obey some road safety rules specific to cycle riders. Most serious cycle injuries involve the head. Unlike other injuries, damage to the brain is often permanent. For these reasons, helmets are compulsory for cyclists in New Zealand.