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Old 04-26-08 | 04:22 PM
  #67  
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invisiblehand
Part-time epistemologist
 
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Washington, DC

Bikes: Jamis Nova, Bike Friday triplet, Bike Friday NWT, STRIDA, Austro Daimler Vent Noir, Hollands Tourer

Originally Posted by chipcom
No you can't. Please don't second guess the safety nannies...they know what's best for us, they know all, see all, hear all, smell all, taste all, feel all and gosh darn it, they care.
There are two important considerations, IMO.

There is a difference between expressing an opinion -- i.e., I think that it is unwise to ride with a headset on -- and telling people to simply not do it for safety reasons.

There are situations where an individual makes decisions but others pay the price. Consider a cyclist with a headset riding quickly down a MUP. Clearly, a cyclist can seriously hurt other people and -- conditioned on the environment and the cyclists' choices like velocity -- wearing the headset could be irresponsible.

While I sympathize with the argument against the safety nannies, I think that putting the argument in the right context is important.
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