I've started something...

[Fab Foodie]

Actually the helmet manufacturers do very little in promotion, make very few claims about their effectiveness and are very quiet in the field of advertising.

This has been attributed to two factors

1. The manufacturers are well aware that compulsion oor portraying cycling as dangerous adversely affects numbers and cuts their core market
2. That helmets are not as effective as some would claim and that if they made these claims they would be opening themselves to litigation in the first accident that occurred

Agreed, but they've successful got the shops, the pro teams, magazines, word of moth and insurance companies to sell their products for them on the basis of zero evidence ....
From a Marketing professionals standpoint they've done a cracking job selling the Kings New Clothes.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm a father too, but, along with many other parents on here, I don't agree with your views. Rather than promote safety, I am trying to raise my kids to be fearless, so that they will no be scared to live their lives to the full. It's mothers' job to worry and instill fear in them.

... and also the sense to be critical, analytical and individual rather than always accept the mythapprehension of others ... and as the father of 3 I know that's a painful road to follow!

 

[PK99]

Just a though-experiment - if someone said "my friends can come cycling with me, but I insist they do not wear a helmet" - would you consider that equally reasonable?

Just leaving aside the emotion / argument / logic behind helmets for a moment

A reasonable request - but i would opt out of cycling with them.

 

[PK99]

I'm a father too, but, along with many other parents on here, I don't agree with your views. Rather than promote safety, I am trying to raise my kids to be fearless, so that they will no be scared to live their lives to the full. It's mothers' job to worry and instill fear in them.

What a sexist attitude!

 

[ufkacbln]

Sarcasm gets lost on the Internet!

Who is being sarcastic... it is agenuine question

 

[.stu]

What a sexist attitude!

It's not sexist - it's actually based on research that shows that fathers tend to play riskier games with their children than mothers do. I saw a documentary on the bbc about it a few years back. Mothers and fathers have different roles to play in bringing up children - I certainly won't be breastfeeding my kids that's for sure.

Here is a graphic representation of the researchers results:

 

[PK99]

It's not sexist - it's actually based on research

your interpretation, as put in your earlier post was clearly sexist.

 

[.stu]

your interpretation, as put in your earlier post was clearly sexist.

It was meant to be tongue in cheek but maybe that's another thing that doesn't come across very well on the Internet. And the two children I am trying to raise to be fearless are my girls.