[QUOTE=trombone;7061243]I explain the statement as follows.
The first part of the statement is true:
The number of serious head injuries among cyclists of all ages has fallen
The second part is an assertion:
as a result of increasing helmet use
The third is an opinion:
despite doubts about the effectiveness of helmets
QUOTE]
Hi Trombone,
I can sense the frustration of someone living with regulations that are not based on any substance (or possibly science). Prehaps the only consolation might be that you are part of a statistical experiment on the effectiveness of bike helmets.
For what it's worth my take on bike helmets is that they evolved from mountain biking where low speed tumbles are common (at least they were for me).... usually falling off sideways at 0 mph trying to ride up steep slopes. I'm prepared to believe that bike helmets provide some protection for this type of incident.
Do I believe that standard polystyrene bike helmets provide protection for crashes on 45 mph descents, vehicle impacts or hitting stationery objects - no. And there is certainly not much evidence for them working in these situations.
On the regulation issue - I was in Japan last year. In a country famed for it's adherence to rules there seemed to be no rules (enforced or otherwise) when it came to cycling - great fun and I didn't see a single incident in the 2 weeks that I was there.