Helmets from the AA

[frank9755]

I see the AA are handing out free helmets and hi-viz vests at a couple of locations in London today. I also see the anti helmet brigade are criticising the AA for this initiative on the grounds that cyclists shouldn't have to take responsibility for making themselves visible to other road users who should be taking sufficient care on the road to be able to see what's in front of them. Personally I think both halves of that sentence should apply. I'm sure that the helmets are better than my Argos cheapie and if I was in the area of the handouts I would be glad to have a better quality free one and frankly I couldn't care less don't understand what the CTC anoraks say about it.

Story here

I'm not normally a fan of editing other people's posts, but this one was just too hard to resist.

 

[jefmcg]

I "like" the rape analogy. Just imagine a men's group or magazine doing a big publicity stunt on reducing rape and it consisted entirely of giving rape whistles and modesty veils to women?

Too bad the woman who had her legs severed by a lorry didn't have an AA helmet.

 

[mickle]

I "like" the rape analogy. Just imagine a men's group or magazine doing a big publicity stunt on reducing rape and it consisted entirely of giving rape whistles and modesty veils to women?

Too bad the woman who had her legs severed by a lorry didn't have an AA helmet.

Yup.

 

[brokenbetty]

I'm not sure the AA have done anything unforgivable....

And I'm not sure they're trying to distract anyone....

They're giving out helmets.

They're a motoring organisation; they're not the baddies in a Bond film or casino card sharps....

So the Automobile Association - an association for drivers of motorised vehicles which are overwhelmingly responsible for (and often the victims of) the most serious road injuries - had a brainstorming session and the best they could think of was giving protective clothing to a set of people who are nothing to do with automobiles? With all their stats on road safety, they spontaneously all decided the best way to make the roads safer is plastic helmets for people travelling less than 20mph?

At least accusing them of distraction tactics credits them with intelligence. The alternative is that the entire publicity machine of the AA has the road awareness of a newborn hedgehog.

The AA are big enough to have branding, PR and marketing professionals, therefore they have them, therefore nothing media-facing just happens. If the AA give out cycle helmets rather than target driver behaviour it's because cycle helmets are on-message and driving standards are not. I'm no tin foil hattist but I've worked with enough big companies to know that.

 

[asterix]

The AA was founded in order to warn speeding motorists of speed traps.

the organisation developed a coded warning system, which was used until the 1960s, whereby a patrolman would always salute the driver of a passing car which showed a visible AA Badge unless there was a speed trap nearby, on the understanding that their officers could not be prosecuted for failing to salute.

Why would they be handing out cycle helmets? They are a lobbying organisation for car drivers!

Jeremy Clarkson'll be handing 'em out next!

 

[Red Light]

Just to put the AA's plan into perspective