I have cycled for many years without a helmet and like most cyclists have also fallen off my bike several times. Perhaps I have been lucky but I have never seriously damaged my head. I have, however had scrapes and cuts to arms and legs.

Additionally, I was an operational paramedic for many years. In my 25 years of ambulance experience I never encountered a serious head injury to a cyclist where there were no other vehicles involved. The serious head injuries to cyclists I did encounter occurred when cyclists and motor vehicles were involved. Where I attended cyclists who sustained serious head injuries following a collision with a motor vehicle, cycle helmets would not, I believe, have significantly helped reduce serious injury due to the forces involved.

It is a known fact that the general health of our population can be improved by more exercise. Cycling is an excellent way of keeping fit. In my opinion, cycling is increasingly associated with the need to protect yourself from injury. Wearing a helmet is part of that culture. I believe that younger people will be deterred from cycling if they feel pressured to wear a helmet. Girls and boys are normally very image conscious and gelled and styled hair does not go with wearing a helmet. On that issue alone I believe it would deter many young people from using a bicycle. The corollary of that could be less fit young people whose general health would be poorer because of the aesthetic considerations.

One last thought. The photographs show very young children with helmets. Regardless of my observations above, I think young children should be encouraged to wear them as they are, perhaps, more likely to be riding on paths/safer areas and at speeds (under 12 mph?) where a helmet could help in the event of a fall.