David Cameron told off for "not wearing helmet"

[Jezston]

That's the attitude traders take and look where that got us.

 

[downfader]

Comment posted on the Guardian site in response to my statement that helmet research has yet to be particularly impartial (on either side):

Neutral helmet research - Take 2 voluntreers. Put a cycling helmet on one of them. Bash head of non helmet wearer with large paving slab, or a car bonnet (or both) and then repeat the process with the one wearing a helmet. And then see which one sustains the worse injuries. Job done

The man is a fool.

 

[biggs682]

i must admit every time you see him riding on tv he never has a helmet on , my local tory mp wants helmet wearing as a law

 

[lit]

my local tory mp wants helmet wearing as a law

Such a shame he'll never get it

 

[chap]

Comment posted on the Guardian site in response to my statement that helmet research has yet to be particularly impartial (on either side):

" Neutral helmet research - Take 2 voluntreers. Put a cycling helmet on one of them. Bash head of non helmet wearer with large paving slab, or a car bonnet (or both) and then repeat the process with the one wearing a helmet. And then see which one sustains the worse injuries. Job done "


The man is a fool.

At the risk of starting a Room 101 thread...why? Other than detracting from the literal points of your post, it seemed pretty rational, if not a little far fetched.

 

[BentMikey]

Partly because helmet wearers are seven times more likely to hit their heads than non-helmet wearers? Or something like that.

 

[hackbike 666]

Only 7?

 

[ufkacbln]

At the risk of starting a Room 101 thread...why? Other than detracting from the literal points of your post, it seemed pretty rational, if not a little far fetched.

See recent helmet thread.....

Basically it is applicable to all the groups that exist. Take an example of stairs... (3x as many head injuries per year as cyclists)

Bang head on stairs with and without helmet. Is this proof that using stairs requires a helmet?

Repeat in an old fashioned pub with low doorways, does it mean helmets should be worn in pubs with low ceilings or doorways.

It is a meaningless red herring wheeled out to justify helmets, and then ignored in all other groups to which it applies. Unscientific, invalid and hypocritical

 

[psmiffy]

See recent helmet thread.....

Basically it is applicable to all the groups that exist. Take an example of stairs... (3x as many head injuries per year as cyclists)

Bang head on stairs with and without helmet. Is this proof that using stairs requires a helmet?

Repeat in an old fashioned pub with low doorways, does it mean helmets should be worn in pubs with low ceilings or doorways.

It is a meaningless red herring wheeled out to justify helmets, and then ignored in all other groups to which it applies. Unscientific, invalid and hypocritical

Your stats are meaningless - probably at least a 100 times more stair users than cyclists and 20 times the number of trips (poor choice of word) it is a matter of risk not a cost cutting excercise - personally after having carried out a risk assessment I now live in a ground floor flat

I support your assertion that helmets should not be compulsory but find the continuos trotting out of tenuos stats and chosen studies tedious

 

[ufkacbln]

Your stats are meaningless - probably at least a 100 times more stair users than cyclists and 20 times the number of trips (poor choice of word) it is a matter of risk not a cost cutting excercise - personally after having carried out a risk assessment I now live in a ground floor flat

I support your assertion that helmets should not be compulsory but find the continuos trotting out of tenuos stats and chosen studies tedious

I simply showed why the helmet "experiment" remains worthless drivel.

+1

I want to wear a helmet to protect my head when I'm out on a bike

The stats say that you are more likely to fall over when walking to work then riding a bike does this mean you will wear a helmet when walking?!

Depends on the way you look at it. Next time someone quotes NHS cost savings as a reason for compulsion, do you just accept it or show why it is untrue?

If cost saving is the argument then as you say perhaps we should be spending time and effort promoting walking helmets as well as cycle helmets?

 

[downfader]

Excuse this, it will be a long post:

The reason why I said his idea of smashing rocks on peoples heads was stupid is because road users very rarely have to worry about falling rock. The commentor wouldnt accept that the majority of times a cyclist goes down that they consciously or unconsciously put their hands out to protect them from the fall. Looking at Le Tour, and I've watched for many years, how the majority of riders who go down suffer damage to their collar bones, wrists and shoulders, and then usually the legs and knees after. (Depending on how they fall). Smashing a paving slab on someones head doesnt match the angle of impact between cyclist head and tarmac either.

There are so, so many variables. No one study has been definitive and too many vested interests by researchers (helmet industry, dental industry, Headway, and ofcourse those who wish to remove us from the road - David Curry MP who looked into various stats to last year for his own ends it seems)

In no other situation where some one is a victim of an accident or collision do we bang on so much about "protection". People have to understand its still a personal choice - WE are the ones who suffer through an unclear choice - motorcycle helmets have heaps of physical research carried out to test them, as with car seatbelts. They've done the cadavers and crash test dummy analysis, they've tested and retested new designs.. We dont get that with cycle helmets.

When you hear of a work mate or friend having a crash in their car does everyone pipe up and say "well were you wearing a seat belt, or doing the limit?!"

Its rediculous. We as a nation are failing people by allowing non-cyclists to dictate to us what we wear because they are so afraid of their driving and that they might hit us. A far better solution is to deal with the bad road usage as I keep saying. Until people realise this we will continue to have these debates whether we ride or not.

 

[BSRU]

When I read some research on cycle safety they mentioned that wearing a long blonde wig increased safety more than a helmet as drivers, male normally, tend to give women with long blonde hair more room when overtaking. To be honest I do not think I will try this theory out myself.

 

[jimboalee]

When I read some research on cycle safety they mentioned that wearing a long blonde wig increased safety more than a helmet as drivers, male normally, tend to give women with long blonde hair more room when overtaking. To be honest I do not think I will try this theory out myself.

Glue the wig on the helmet. Best of both worlds.

 

[psmiffy]

When I read some research on cycle safety they mentioned that wearing a long blonde wig increased safety more than a helmet as drivers, male normally, tend to give women with long blonde hair more room when overtaking. To be honest I do not think I will try this theory out myself.

Because you do not think it would work or because being blond does not suit you?

 

[downfader]

When I read some research on cycle safety they mentioned that wearing a long blonde wig increased safety more than a helmet as drivers, male normally, tend to give women with long blonde hair more room when overtaking. To be honest I do not think I will try this theory out myself.

Not quite as clear cut as that. It was one study with a hypothesis at the end. Its never even been properly peer reviewed. So dont take that too literally.