A cyclist whose life was saved by his helmet when he crashed head first into a car wants them to be made compulsory.

Oliver Adams, 33, was cycling towards the centre of Oxford, in Banbury Road, on March 15, when he and a car turning right into Belbroughton Road collided.

The force of the collision knocked him across the road and into the side of a Mercedes driven by Dr Sandeep Jayawant, a neurologist at Oxford Children's Hospital.

Mr Adams, of Rectory Road, East Oxford, who is studying at Oxford Brookes University to be an osteopath, was concussed in the accident and still suffers headaches and slight memory loss.

But he is convinced the blue Trek cycle helmet, which was cracked in the smash, saved his life.

He added: "This helmet has saved my life. I bought it for about £30 or £40 from a shop in Market Street and I would advise everyone else to do the same.

"It's a bizarre coincidence that I crashed into a neurologist but not everyone will be lucky enough to collide with someone who is an expert on head injuries.

"I would like to see new legislation making the wearing of cycle helmets compulsory. They do it in some countries, so I'm sure it could work here."

Mr Adams said his Marin bike was a write-off following the crash and he is trying to claim the estimated £500 replacement cost on his house insurance.

His girlfriend Elizabeth Mathew, a 33-year-old historical bibliographer at Oxford University, had been very shaken by his accident - and now always wears a helmet when cycling.

Dr Jayawant, 42, said Mr Adams left a helmet-shaped dent in the side of his car. He added: "If he had not been wearing a cycle helmet the impact would have left him with a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage.

"In my job, I see all sorts of injuries, and children who have not been wearing their helmets while cycling definitely suffer worse injuries."

Pc Tom Coyne, of Oxford police, who attended the accident, said: "Without the helmet, the corner of the car door would have gone straight into his skull."

James Styring, a spokesman for cycling group Cyclox, said children should be encouraged to wear cycle helmets but he would not back legislation to make them compulsory.

"The emphasis should be on cyclists getting more training," he said.

"Most helmets are only designed to withstand impacts of up to 20mph."