Anti-helmet pledge

Michael Mounteney

Anti-helmet pledge

Post by Michael Mounteney »

It's not going to change the world, but this pledge aims to do something to challenge the orthodoxy of helmet usage. Please have a look at http://www.pledgebank.com/nohelmets and lend your support.
pwward

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by pwward »

Good Idea. Good luck.
handallyingharry

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by handallyingharry »

gar

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by gar »

This country learns a little more each day from NZ and France about opposing pressure groups to sort out twittish ideas. This pledge will sort one out!
NEUTRALISE helmet campaigners!
france tourer

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by france tourer »

why can we not leave this to personal choice . I ride my bike six days a week and do an average of 30 miles a day to and from work. I
france tourer

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by france tourer »

why can we not leave this to personal choice . I ride my bike six days a week and do an average of 30 miles a day to and from work. I wear my helmet when i feel like it, it depends how i feel when i wake up . Ihave been knocked off my bike twice by car drivers it was they fault both times. on both occasions i was not wearing a helmet i sustained no injuries apart from a sprained wrist. Lets leave this to choice
nuttycyclist

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by nuttycyclist »

A cycle training course might be of more value to your friend roadrunner.

As for traffic? Who cares about the nincompoops content to sit in the jams, just ride round them and have fun (just don't break any traffic laws ;-) )
J Cantrell

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by J Cantrell »

I have previously stayed well clear of the helmet or not issue for several reasons; the red herrings which are introduced, the peculiar use of some statistics to "prove" some point, the sheer misinformation put out by some people and most of all the sheer aggression which seems to be a part of the arguements - however I am gratified to note that one month after publishing the original message only eleven people have signed up for this silly stunt.
bovlomov

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by bovlomov »

Has anyone noticed the pro-cycling propaganda from Transport for London?
Every one of the people shown riding a bike is wearing a helmet.

That's the message:
"Ride a bike! It's dangerous!!
gar

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by gar »

Were they going the proper way up a one way street as well?
Ridiculous.
Andy Tallis

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by Andy Tallis »

Just finishing freshers' week at Bangor , North Wales, University and still, after 18000 miles touring, can't part with the helmet, even though it is very uncomfortable. Perhaps it's because I came off last winter and bashed it (though not even hard enough to cause a dent. I also now live at the top of a steep, bumpy, slippy hill with students wandering randomly.
I wish someone would explain clearly to waht dgree I am likely to be protected by a helmet should my head hit the ground. Then I could finally decide hwether the risks outweigh the discomfort rather than contemplating it for about 20% of my cycling time.
bovlomov

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by bovlomov »

That's just it. There is no conclusive research.

Having complained to the BMA about their policy on mandatory helmets I was sent an abstract of their research. It is what's known, apparently, as meta-analysis, which in laymans terms is a dogs dinner of second-hand research, from all over the world, cobbled together to make an unconvincing case.

The point is that a few people die from head injuries that a helmet may or may not have prevented ( you can't do research on what might have been).

In the scheme of things a helmet is almost irrelevant compared with safe riding, lighting, bike maintenance, cycle friendly roads, and above all careful motorists.

Perhaps the politicians find it harder, and more expensive to deal with these things though. Making helmets compulsory would be cheap!

I suggest you search the web for all the information you can on both sides and then decide whether you will be safer with a helmet. I will do the same....

...and long may that right to choose continue.
gar

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by gar »

Perhaps the politicians find it harder, and more expensive to deal with these things though. Making helmets compulsory would be cheap!

The last intense compulsory helmets discussion
was the DfT select committee in Parliament 97-8 so you can imagine how much the dicussion was driven by lobby interests such as bike helmet manufacturers.

They did not make much progress even so.
Making helmets compulsory would be cheap and making cheap helmets cheap would be the most likely outcome... and a bl***y nuisance.
.
bovlomov

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by bovlomov »

Oh, is there such a thing as a helmet manufacturers' lobby? I suppose there is.

Back to the Spanish example:
They have some strange law about having to carry fluorescent jackets in a car, for those times when you break down on the motorway and need to be seen. As you can imagine, this is rather hard to enforce and, I'm told, has led to families letting their children out to play on the grass verges - safely, with their jackets on.

This law was passed by Aznar's government, and word is that Aznar has shares in the company that manufactures the jackets.

Of course, that type of corruption couldn't happen here.
gar

Re:Anti-helmet pledge

Post by gar »

is there such a thing as a helmet manufacturers' lobby?

The debate of 97-98 which last attracted attention
was called by the DfT select committee, and there is no knowing who can persuade them or how.

CTC was probably an effective Freedom of choice lobby at the time from what I recall, assuming they made any representations at all.

A cycling consumerist craze may be the most effective campaign of all.
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