Helmet ban by delivery firm

[Ian H]

Pedal me has banned its riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons.
https://www.bikebiz.com/pedal-me-bans-staff-riders-from-wearing-helmets-for-safety-reasons/amp/

 

[I like Skol]

Interesting thought process.

Good that a cycle delivery firm is at least appearing to try and raise the standards of riding from it's employees.

 

[raymondo60]

Yeah but. .. who here (or anywhere) would admit to cycling more dangerously or illegally as a direct result of wearing a helmet? I understand the message the company is conveying, and statistics can make arguments either way. When helmets were made compulsory in Australia, cycling numbers plummeted. OK. But.... why not ensure/improve the cyclists' competence by training and education AND allow those who wish to wear helmets? I think of my crash hat as an (albeit limited) precaution against the unexpected, not a guarantee of safety and a license to ride like a maniac. There's a mixed message there methinks.

 

[cyberknight]

i can see how they could be in violation of employee rights somewhere along the line with this , im no legal eagle but sounds full of holes as wearing/not wearing does not alter your ability to do the job and could be argued a some sort of descimination.
Personaly if its not a legal requirement i wouldnt think they can enforce this ? for the record im in the "down to personal choice " camp

 

[Milkfloat]

The first employee that suffers a head injury after being prevented from wearing a helmet is going to have a field day in court. I think the company should have gone down the route of presenting information and letting the employees decide. They may be 100% correct with the science and thinking, but will a court agree with them.

 

[MontyVeda]

i can see how they could be in violation of employee rights somewhere along the line with this , im no legal eagle but sounds full of holes as wearing/not wearing does not alter your ability to do the job and could be argued a some sort of descimination.
Personaly if its not a legal requirement i wouldnt think they can enforce this ? for the record im in the "down to personal choice " camp

If you're talking employee rights in general... employers can (and do) impose dress codes on staff. I have to wear 'their' shirt, and 'my' trousers and shoes must be black. I think they can tell me i'm not allowed to wear a hat too.

 

[Cerdic]

I’m not convinced.

I wear a helmet because of idiot road users, not because of how I ride.

They say that other road users drive less carefully around helmet-wearing cyclists. Nonsense! Most risk is posed by drivers not paying attention. If they are not concentrating enough to spot a cyclist they certainly won’t spot a helmet, or lack thereof…

 

[sheddy]

and smile

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWL4zfqExtQ

 

[I like Skol]

The first employee that suffers a head injury after being prevented from wearing a helmet is going to have a field day in court. I think the company should have gone down the route of presenting information and letting the employees decide. They may be 100% correct with the science and thinking, but will a court agree with them.

Actually, it might be a fight worth having. A rationed evaluation of the pros and cons of helmet use, without emotional nonsense and opinion would be welcome. In reality I guess that wouldn't be possible even in a court of law?

 

[swansonj]

Yeah but. .. who here (or anywhere) would admit to cycling more dangerously
... as a direct result of wearing a helmet? ....

Me.

 

[mjr]

Come on! Any sane court should agree with them. And anyway, aren't theirs rather large bikes unlikely to tip a rider onto the top of their head?

I can see why the company doesn't want the image of risky riders who need protective headgear. After all, if a taxi driver or cargo van driver turned up in F1 overalls and helmet, you'd rethink about whether you wanted to trust people or cargo to their driving style, wouldn't you?

 

[Chris S]

I wear a helmet to protect me from lawyers.

 

[classic33]

Come on! Any sane court should agree with them. And anyway, aren't theirs rather large bikes unlikely to tip a rider onto the top of their head?

I can see why the company doesn't want the image of risky riders who need protective headgear. After all, if a taxi driver or cargo van driver turned up in F1 overalls and helmet, you'd rethink about whether you wanted to trust people or cargo to their driving style, wouldn't you?

You can prove that point?
Wearing a helmet means you're a "risky rider".

 

[Chap sur le velo]

Wow. It "seems" to them that cyclists wearing a helmet are more likely to jump a red light? Well from my experience stopping for red lights in London, it "seems" to me that those crashing through them are more likely to not be wearing them.
As someone who's done the 3 day Managing Safety course plus refreshers that's not how I recall assessing risks.

PR BS IMHO.

 

[MontyVeda]

...

PR BS IMHO.

It might be PR but it's not BS... I'd never heard of Pedal Me before yesterday, and what is it they say about all publicity?