BWAH, HA, HA, HA.

Ngalbrai

People are giving consideration to this preposterous notion here in Auz:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslo ... dad06730bf

The Rookie

Given that they think making helmets compulsory had a negative effect on the number of cyclists such that the net health effect (benefit versus loss) was negative, what effect would that expensive monstrosity have?

Initialised

According to the Health and Safety Executive: PPE should only be used as a last resort when alternative measures cannot be deployed in order to mitigate risk.

Bike helmets were originally developed for high risk activities on a bike.

When racing collisions with other riders are likely so falls at high speed are likely.
Mountain Biking, high speeds, loose surfaces and rough terrain, therefore a high chance of a crash.
BMX/Trials etc learning and performing tricks on the bike is likely to result in fall.

Pootling to the shops at 5-15mph in dry conditions does not imply a high enough risk of head injury to warrant the use of PPE.

Commuting sits in the middle, I haven't had a head impact in a fall since my first winter of commuting so now I wear a lid more out of habit than necessity.

So, before making helmets mandatory to cyclists the following measures could be considered or deployed to minimise their risk of injury:

Give vulnerable, non-pedestrian road users priority over motorised traffic in line with the "Cyclists Must Give Way to Pedestrians and Horses" rule for Bridleways and Shared Use paths.
Apply strict liability.
Adopt a minimum passing distance law.
Make more sections of road car free, enforce this with pop-up bollards.
Improved driver awareness and rider training. e.g. hit a cyclist, pass Bikeability Level 3 before you get your license back, same for cyclists deemed to be at fault.
A review of the road layout at any site where near misses or accidents are reported.
A change of road 'design rules' to improve cyclist safety without reducing cycling speed whenever a roadway is improved or built.
A review of collision avoidance technology with a view to making some devices mandatory to new vehicles.
Provide larger, longer ASLs and delay motor traffic with respect to cycle traffic at complex and high traffic junctions.
Provide more roads for cyclists (as opposed to shared use paths).

Once all this is in place and it can be shown that the occurrence of cycling head injury in utility cycling is lower in a meaningful statistically significant way for those who wear helmets then consider making them mandatory.

Licencing riders is merely going to compound the problem, cycling (in the UK at least) needs less regulation not more.

tootsie323

I take more issue with whoever wrote tis article.

Cyclist screaming down the road at around 30-40 km/h when the traffic lights were red

'Screaming' down the road? Where are the red lights? A more apt caption would be along the lines of cyclist woth no loghts, if the author really wishes to make a point.

... designer Toby King... would prefer to keep his name out of the public eye in case of any backlash from cyclists...

Well done you for respecting his wishes and keeping his name out of the public eye. Twunt.