Cyclists wearing glass helmets...

[Elizabethsdad]

... shouldn't throw stones. Or criticise other cyclists for not wearing a helmet and then run a red light such as I experienced today.
I was cycling along Winchester Road in Southampton and pass this cyclist who then calls out 'You're going some, where's your helmet' Beofre I can respond I have caught up with the car in front now waiting a red light. The other cyclist then shoots past me and the car and then goes through the red light. So I call out that helmets are optional where he has just broken the law running a red a light. He comes to a stop and then tries to claim that he hasn't run the light - this in spite of the fact that he is now so far in front of the stop line theat he cannot see when the lights change. He then continues to have a go at me for not wearing a helmet and gets quite agrieved when I suggest that of the two of us he is the one most likely to get knocked of his bike. I don't think he liked being called a moron either but if the cap (or helmet) fits...

[meic]

I think that getting distracted having arguments is probably more dangerous than violating redlights or failing to wear a lid.

Though I dont think that any of the above are enough of a danger to really worry about.

[OnYourRight]

I think the arguments against wearing a helmet for safety are on par with the old arguments against wearing a car seatbelt, i.e. you’d have to be wilfully obtuse to believe them.

However, that doesn’t mean I think all cyclists should wear a helmet. It’s pleasant to ride without a helmet, and that’s a good enough reason to not wear one sometimes – especially since not wearing a helmet endangers only yourself.

Although I nearly always wear a helmet, I routinely jump red lights. But I live in Paris where that’s allowed!

[[XAP]Bob]

I think the arguments against wearing a helmet for safety are on par with the old arguments against wearing a car seatbelt, i.e. you’d have to be wilfully obtuse to believe them.

I disagree - but we're not in the helmet forum.

- lap style seatbelts are generally considered to be horrifically bad (they cause really nasty lower spinal injuries)
- seatbelts aren't compromised by thermal restrictions
- the primary role of a seatbelt is to let the safety systems of the car do their jobs properly

On the other hand none of the above apply to helmets - comparison between the two is meaningless. By all means compare with motor racing helmets - which are sufficiently detrimental in many cases to require their own secondary safety gear (the HANS device).


If you look at seatbelt history you will also notice an absence of road safety benefit from their introduction or compulsion - so even the "known good" seatbelts aren't actually saving lives - the safety benefit is often "used up" by e.g. increased speed, just look at the pile up in Kent recently - people feel invulnerable in their steel cages, so they drive accordingly.


The research is not conclusive as to whether helmets are beneficial - but I absolutely agree with the principle of choice in this matter.
The research is conclusive that seatbelts help the person buckled in, but they also appear to increase the danger for other road users - leaving no net benefit to road safety.

[Jon Lucas]

... shouldn't throw stones. Or criticise other cyclists for not wearing a helmet and then run a red light such as I experienced today.
I was cycling along Winchester Road in Southampton and pass this cyclist who then calls out 'You're going some, where's your helmet' Beofre I can respond I have caught up with the car in front now waiting a red light. The other cyclist then shoots past me and the car and then goes through the red light. So I call out that helmets are optional where he has just broken the law running a red a light. He comes to a stop and then tries to claim that he hasn't run the light - this in spite of the fact that he is now so far in front of the stop line theat he cannot see when the lights change. He then continues to have a go at me for not wearing a helmet and gets quite agrieved when I suggest that of the two of us he is the one most likely to get knocked of his bike. I don't think he liked being called a moron either but if the cap (or helmet) fits...

He obviously is a moron.

It amazes me how many cyclists stop in front of the signals, so they cannot see when they change, and then are still waiting there when the lights change and a lot of vehicles suddenly drive up behind them.

Glass helmets is a great phrase WaterLab, I will probably steal (sorry borrow) it from you.

[fossala]

Although I nearly always wear a helmet, I routinely jump red lights. But I live in Paris where that’s allowed!

I wouldn't jump red lights even if I could. It seems silly to want to be part of traffic, then say we don't need to follow the same rules.

[OnYourRight]

I wouldn't jump red lights even if I could. It seems silly to want to be part of traffic, then say we don't need to follow the same rules.

It may seem silly, but in Paris there doesn’t exist a widespread culture of bikes versus cars. Of course there are conflicts between road users, but they are conflicts between people, not vehicle types.

Thus there isn’t a constant need for cyclists to assert their right to the road (whether stridently or deferentially). Bicycles are accepted on the road, but are treated differently from cars in law and in fact.

In this context, I don’t think relying on new rights is harmful. It might be harmful in the UK, but in the UK the culture is very different.

[Peyote]

Enough of this, where's the glass helmet? I want one, I bet they look cool, hopefully cheaper than a Catlike Whisper too!

[[XAP]Bob]

Although I nearly always wear a helmet, I routinely jump red lights. But I live in Paris where that’s allowed!

I wouldn't jump red lights even if I could. It seems silly to want to be part of traffic, then say we don't need to follow the same rules.

Why - Motorised traffic already has special rules (regarding speed limits and mobile phone usage, requirements for licencing, servicing, insurance) They can have special rules for traffic lights as well..