Comments on: Compulsory Helmet Use

By: Lewis

Lewis — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:25:55 +0000

Just for clarification, I ALWAYS wear a helmet now.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:24:05 +0000

I avoided wearing a helmet when I was younger and was lucky to avoid brain damage in a couple of very minor accidents. And still I did not learn. A few years ago, when I’d cycle to work (4 miles) I’d usually wear a helmet, but when I’d cycle to college (1 mile) I would never. One day I had an epiphany when I’d gotten half way to college (no helmet, of course) and a car very nearly pulled out on me at a roundabout, but stopped just in time. Could have been a nasty accident without a helmet…

Nonetheless, I do not think helmets should be compulsory. It would more than likely lead to a reduction of cyclists on our roads, leading to more health problems. But also, with fewer cyclists on our roads, they would be a more dangerous place to be for the cyclists who stuck it out, leading to more accidents.

Also, cycle helmets aren’t really designed to protect in collisions involving third party vehicles.

By: debencyclist

debencyclist — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:43:09 +0000

For an adult its a personal choice and for a child its the personal choice of their parents, simple as that. I didn’t wear one until I fell off and hit my head. That gave me a fright and now I wear one as does my daughter. We don’t need or want the government making decisions for us about how we lead our lives. Personal choice, personal responsibility.

By: Richard Burton

Richard Burton — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:34:30 +0000

The video from James Cracknell is very compelling, but there’s just one little thing he doesn’t tell you: he’s sponsored by a helmet manufacturer http://www.alpina-helmets.co.uk/athletes.html

The very same one that he claims saved his life. I wonder how many helmets they’ve sold since his video was released?

By: Emily

Emily — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:33:18 +0000

i mean my comment not this post

By: Emily

Emily — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:32:44 +0000

well if ya gonna fall off ya gonna fall off simple as that I mean look at the tour crashes this year they were all wearing helmets and bradley wiggins broke his collar bone (I can relate to this cos i’m sitting here with a broken collar bone myself)
but i think wearing a helmet has become a little bit more compulsory I mean my dad who never wears a helmet had to buy one to come on my club ride with me so.. I dunno what this post is about really but hey
Em

By: Liam H

Liam H — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:36:20 +0000

It's a topic of great debate. There are studies that have shown that wearing a cycle helmet actually increases your odds of having an accident. As a road racer I always wear my helmet anyway as i train as I would race so make sure I have a Cool Cycle helmet like the Team Sky Kask to make sure I look good and have the protection required

By: Paul Jakma

Paul Jakma — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:19:33 +0000

John,

Don’t be silly. Why should children be required to wear helmets? If you think that’s logical, then children should be forced to wear safety equipment in many, many other situations that have equally low injury rates as cycling, or higher, such as playing in playgrounds, physical sports, etc. Even walking to school. Your attitude, though well-meaning, is illogically focused on eliminating a very very small risk to children by replacing it with a number of far more certain harms regarding children’s psychological (independence, life skills, ability to assess risks) and physical development (being active and healthy and avoiding the ever greater rates of obesity in children).

If you take all societal effects into account, helmets (compulsory laws, or the culture in anglo-saxon countries that effectively demands cyclists wear them) perhaps do far *more* harm than good.

By: Samuel

Samuel — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:08:40 +0000

I use to think hemlet are useless and would wear it only when doing Road Cycling because well heu that’s the way the pro doing it these days and well it’s cool to look like pros but not when I was doing commuting… Last month I was in SF where I rented a road bike and was going down from a nearby mountain and fall down from the bike and landed on the hemlet which broke in two and believe save my life (or at least a need to go to the hospital while i was by myself as a tourist) :

http://goo.gl/LS5ak

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:14:32 +0000

I wear one all the time that’s my choice, personally I like to have a choice.

I was a little upset with a article I once read (cant remember where) that a Judge slashed a cyclist compensation on an appeal because he wasn’t wearing an helmet after a motor vehicle struck him at around 30mph. Why he did this was not known. The argument was
1. they are not compulsory. 2. they are designed for head protection if a cyclist topples off his bike and hits his head on a curb (not being hit at 30mph plus). I imagine the judge cycles to work every day and knows better.