I think cyclist have been let down by the helmet advice and need to ask their MP for a Parliamentary inquiry.
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 553abdffc6
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... sment_mk_2
New helmet advice Highway Code
Parliament should have an inquiry because the advice is questionable and it does not provide suitable warnings, as examples,You should wear a cycle helmet that conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened. Evidence suggests that a correctly fitted helmet will reduce your risk of sustaining a head injury in certain circumstances.
a) Research shows helmet use is associated with a higher accident rate, Zeegers analysed 3 large data sets from the Netherlands, Victoria Australia and Seattle and described a marked overestimation of the effectiveness of helmet usage which ranged from +8% to a massive more than 400% and when the data was reanalysed in two out of three series the risk of head injury for helmeted cyclists was not lower and across all three studies the risk of non-head related injury was higher.
See Clarke Cf, Gillham C, Effects of bicycle helmet wearing on accident and injury rates, GB National Road Safety Conference, November 2019
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... jury_rates
b) Children have been strangled by their helmet being caught on things, leaving the child hanging, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-o ... e-51139789 and
https://helmets.org/cpscplay.htm
c) StClair and Chinn reported ‘However, in both low speed linear impacts and the most severe oblique cases, linear and rotational accelerations may increase to levels corresponding to injury severities as high as AIS 2 or 3, at which a marginal increase (up to 1 AIS interval) in injury outcome may be expected for a helmeted head.’ Assessment of current bicycle helmets for the potential to cause rotational injury (trb.org) https://trid.trb.org/view/810710
d) A recent article contained data showing severe head injuries for helmeted to be 2.16% v 0.69% for non-wearers, head injuries in general where lower for helmeted, see Unreliable claims regarding bicycle helmet law in Western Australia https://link.springer.com/article/10.10 ... 21-04949-2
e) Moore et al. reported on adult cyclist post-concussion syndrome (PCS) that “The mean duration of PCS for helmet wearers was 22.9 months, and 16.8 months for patients not wearing a helmet at the time of concussion (p=0.41)”
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... _in_adults
f) Cycling UK say, In any case, there are serious doubts about the effectiveness of helmets. They are, and can only be, designed to withstand minor knocks and falls, not serious traffic collisions. Some evidence suggests they may in fact increase the risk of cyclists having falls or collisions in the first place, or suffering neck injuries. https://www.cyclinguk.org/campaigning/v ... le-helmets
g) The Highway Codes advice can be used in legal proceedings to lower compensation for cyclists not wearing helmets.