Originally Posted by
chasm54
Disappointingly silly. Yes, it might influence driver behaviour if we took steps to make ourselves conform to stereotypes of vulnerability, though given that I'm 6'3" and broad, it's unlikely that growing my hair would make me a model of femininity. The debate, however, is about helmets and whether they make cyclists safer. The thing that got me interested in this subject is the extraordinary fact that increased helmet usage does not seem to correlate with fewer injuries to cyclists. I have no doubt that the reasons why this should be so are many and complex. This ingenious little study just highlights one of the possibilities.
Serious injuries which get reported via emergency room visits, or all injuries, including non-serious ones not reported, which might have been mitigated by helmets, as designed?
Perception now is that helmets make biking safer. Right or wrong, that's the general public perception out there. If we discourage helmet use, would we be discouraging bike riding?
I ride with a helmet, but also have long hair, thus pretty much cancelling each other out. Well, that and our state passed a 3' passing law. Which is more effective: 3' passing law or not wearing a helmet?