X v. The United Kingdom, No. 7992/77, ECommHR (Plenary), 12 July 1978 (dec.)

Fining of a practising Sikh for breaches of the obligation on motorcyclists to wear a crash helmet. The application is inadmissible.

Art. 9 ECHR

1. The compulsory wearing of a crash helmet while driving a motorcycle is a necessary safety measure for motorcyclists. Any interference with the right of freedom of religion is therefore justified for the health, in accordance with art. 9.2 of the Convention.
(The applicant, a practicing Sikh, had been fined 20 times, between 1973 and 1976, for wearing a turban instead of a crash helmet while driving his motorcycle. The application is declared inadmissible. In the opinion of the Commission, the fact that the Sikhs were subsequently granted an exemption from the obligation to wear a crash helmet does not affect the validity of the considerations on which the previous regulation was based)