Vancouver man challenges bike helmet law
 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...elmet-law.html


"Ron van der Eerden argues that being forced to wear a helmet by the Motor Vehicle Act violates his rights concerning life, liberty and security.

He cites studies that show wearing a helmet can cause more harm than good.

"Can you imagine if the government came out tomorrow and said, 'You know what? We are going to legislate helmets for everybody that is in a motor vehicle. It would be a much much higher cost savings to the public health care system,'" he said."

He won't be thinking that when he hits his head.:notamused:

What will you be thinking when you inevitably hit your helmeted-head and die and then come back from the other side to haunt other cyclists with your "helmet saved my life" story?

Be careful out there. I worry about you........

That is one of the reasons, I 'take the lane'. Riding in the gutter, I am more likely to crash and hit my head.

I also 'take the lane' to:

1. Avoid the right-hook
2. Avoid the 'I didn't see him'(that stupidity should be on the NPR comedy show 'Wait Wait Don't Tell Me)
3. Avoid the drifters
4. Be more visible and not blending in with the scenery
5. Assert my right to bike on the road
6. Assert my right to 'take the lane' per the language in the state traffic code.
7. Avoid the complacency a cyclist is lulled into by use of a bike lane.
8. Be consistent for the motorists' behind me, so as not to confuse them about my lane position.

I'm an advocate of helmet use, but completely against helmet laws.

Agree 100%.

Unfortunately, the people behind these laws usually seem to think that helmets have magic super powers. They help, but not as nearly as much as learning to ride safely.

Drivers and passengers in motor car should definitely be required to wear a helmet. There are dozens of people getting serious head injuries every day in cars.

helmet laws deflect the real dangers associated with active transportation in communities in North America.

Hell no! They already drive like nothing bad will ever happen and if it did, they will easily walk away from it. Make them wear the magical Styrofoam hat and they really will drive bad. I say make car driving less safe, maybe then they will start driving responsibly.

Interesting thought. Given the tendency to placate an issue with something simple seems to be a general MO - it's cheap without putting in effort to get at the root of the problem. So I tend to agree with this (although I personally think a helmet is a good idea for me).

Not to hijack the thread, but just curious, what are your thoughts on a better solution? I'm thinking cyclist and driver education as well as traffic law enforcement.

I hope he wins.

The government should not regulate safety measures for individuals. Groups, yes (Such as environmental regulations, or minors), adult individuals, not so much.

Along the lines of:
"just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself"

Cheap? It is better than that, this type of do-gooder edict deflects the cost to the stuckee, not the proponent of such mandates.

= Closetbiker?

Education begins to wear off the minute you leave the class, old habits and bad habits quickly replace education. Law enforcement is already overburdened with "finding terrorists." Neither solution is permanent and both are subject to funding.

Physical infrastructure is the only real long term solution, but of course it is expensive and subject to whims of the demands of various lobby groups.

Robot cars are the only answer... take the driving control away from fickle humans.

Otherwise, live with what we have and tell the silly people that make up mandatory laws to jump off a high bridge.

I hope he wins.

At least it would be harder to be on a cell phone without using hands free.

No.

Bicycle helmets never had a safety label for obvious reasons but the rest of your argument is true: Sooner or later there will be no more cyclists wearing and promoting a helmet ad nauseam as they tend to die at a higher rate than riders that don't wear the Styrofoam cup.

Every time Someone from my family comes here on vacation, (from France) I get the same remarks when I get back from a ride, why do you wear that thing? We have tons of riders back home, nobody wears a helmet...

I just started wearing one this Year ( 57 years)... does look like a stupid appendage, however I would rather stay away from a concussion...

That quote was from George Carlin. It's in regards to everything :)

Then do not crash, because a helmet is not going to protect you from a concussion.

It could.

It could also save you from a skull fracture.

That's really nice. Do you want to address my point that people wearing helmets die more often than those who don't? You seem to be a pro helmet guy in many threads, please substantiate!

How would that be? Even the manufacturers of these helmets wouldn't dare to claim that.

So I guess that you favor the "big honking pointed stake" affixed to the steering wheel approach?

I agree that overall that driving a car is so safe as to almost be idiot proof. And we hear about how safe this or that car is for the occupants in the event of an "accident." But little is done to make them safer for those who are hit by them.

It would be nice if the driver and occupants also shared in actual risk of operating such a device at the speeds that most people seem to want to operate them at.