Originally Posted by
howsteepisit
I am not sure who these anti-helmet people who post here are, I have seen few truly anti-helmet posts. As far as "where they want us to go" do you mean somebody wants us all to go to Corvallis? I've not seen that suggestion in this forum. Or are you referring to a obviously posed publicity shot for a publication? Looks fine to me, no traffic, family bicycle outing Hard to believe you take issue with that, but I guess you find it inappropriate somehow.
And the graphic clearly shows that helmet use is not a solution to fatalities. and so**********
My observation is that helmets are useful in some (few) relatively minor accidents, if the cost of a helmet makes sense to an individual thats fine, but if not thats fine too. But then I am not a coldly logical as some.
Howsteepisit,
I was referring to the time period, not the place. Being from Eugene, I think there are only a few times you would go to Corvallis, and that is when the Ducks are there!
This isn't an "us against them" situation. It is an awareness that we are actually getting somewhat better from a fatality standpoint in the USA, in part due to helmet usage. I could have been one of those statistics some years ago now, with either a SDI (serious disabling injury) or fatal results from a bicycle accident. Either way, it would have ended my bicycling and probably my career. You can check back if you want specifics on the previous threads.
Part of it is awareness that infrastructure is important. Those in the photo above who were riding in Europe were riding on bikeways that were separated from the traffic, and crossing at a bike crossing point from what I can see. This is an important part of that equation--getting the infrastructure. Here in Beaverton, Oregon we have
Bike Beaverton A Guide to Bike Routes maps, which we are currently redoing. They show bike routes with bike lanes, lower traffic through streets, moderate traffic through streets, high traffic through streets, caution areas, multi-use paths, and also show which way is uphill. These are all color-coded. This is one example of how we can better educate bicycle users obout route selection. Those did not exist in the 1970s.
As for helmets during a bicycle event, here's the Portland, Oregon Bridge Pedal 2005.
John