Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
I saw a sidewalk cyclist pass a car that was making a right turn by zipping through the crosswalk. The cyclist had a helmet on, and looked at me like I was insane not to, or perhaps to be riding on the street. There's room for criticism, in that a lot of people don't really learn safety on the bike, but do wear hats; it can seem like the hat is being used as a crutch or a magic band-aid. Unfortunately, some advocates carry this argument too far, and imply that people give up all their skill on the bike when they put a hat on. It's not a one-or-the-other choice.
No, it absolutely isn't. But the most serious injuries, up to and including death, to road cyclists tend to involve collisions with motor vehicles. The best way to reduce the (already quite small) numbers of those injuries is to reduce the number of collisions, and there are many things that cyclists can do to minimise them; even in heavy traffic and even when it would be the driver who was at fault. Visibility, riding defensively, being aware of and responding to potential hazards before they become manifest, decent bike-handling skills etc. In terms of protection against brain damage I'd put a helmet below all of these things.
Some folks believe that helmets are impotent. For anyone in this group, I've always wondered what sort of evidence would get you to believe otherwise?
I don't know anyone who thinks they're impotent. I, and other critics, think they are a lot less potent than most people assume. As for evidence, more realistic testing to much higher standards would help. Ironically, of course, enforcing that would persuade the "safety at all costs" brigade that cycling without a motorcycle helmet shouldn't be permitted, and that would pretty much kill cycling altogether. The most important thing to get people to understand is that cycling, done right, is actually very safe.
Finally, I'm curious how many people who are against helmet laws are also against seatbelt laws?
I wear a seatbelt. They work, and they in no way interfere with my driving. However I would not make them mandatory. I'd also be interested to read, though have not yet bothered to look for, any research on risk compensation among motorists. Cars feel pretty safe these days. I wonder if that encourages people to drive less carefully and whether that has a much more negative impact on the safety of cyclists and pedestrians than on that of the drivers themselves?