mumbojumbo wrote:The countries which have gone down the helmet route to make cycling safer remain rather more dangerous for cycling than the UK. There is nothing about compulsion which stops helmets working.
Cycling UK has the right policy.
I would imagine smart cyclists, seeing roads are dangerous,respond by donning helmets.Dutch cyclists seeing less traffic eschew helmets.However if British cyclists stop wearing helmets,there will be no reduction in traffic volume.Cycling will remain hazardous.Chris Boardman has questionable judgement and has made abundant wealth despite a modest medal for time-trial in Olympics.Struggled in tour de France.
It's plain helmet wearing does not make people feel safe enough to use their bikes on anything like the scale of the Dutch. And they are right.
When wearing in Australia went from about 30% to near 100% because of the law, casualty rates did not change by a significant amount (the rate increased slightly), but miles ridden decreased. The Australians did not seem to feel safer. In that sunny, sporty land rather fewer people ride than in soggy Britain, and at a rather higher risk. It is a particularly odd idea that helmets don't work if you are forced to wear one! You might guess that it was the risk takers, those who did not wear helmets already, who were forced into them by the threat of fines, and so the safety improvement given by the law would be magnified.
Not wearing helmets will not make the roads as safe as Dutch ones. That will take a campaign like
Stop der Kindermoord. , and a sustained change to our road infrastructure. The more helmets are seen to the solution to cyclists being killed and injured by motors, the less likely such a campaign is. People who feel genuine regret at the high casualty rate for cyclists can be diverted from the real cause, and the real solution. If only they would wear helmets, they can say, they ought to take responsibility for their own safety. It is a argument frequently used by anti-cyclists.
It would be so good if wearing a helmet was an answer to the problem, but it is a comfort blanket, not a solution. Wear a helmet if you must, but try not to believe it does much good.
The
ad hominem attack on Chris Boardman is uncalled for. Playing the man, not the ball. You accuse him both of poor judgement and making a lot of money! I have heard that his short career with Cofidis was down to his refusal to take PEDs.
Our own club goes so far as to not promote helmets.