Jersey Takes great leap backwards

[Brains]

Jersey C.I. Takes great leap backwards and introduces helmets for all cyclists under 18

http://www.thisisjersey.com/2010/03/11/cycle-law-will-spare-families-heartbreak/

 

[summerdays]

Yes I saw it on the news this morning and the presenter seemed to be asking the question whether it should be wider than just Jersey (could have been wrong I was try to make the sandwiches too). I had been thinking it could be nice to go on holiday to Jersey but I'm changing my mind now.

 

[Over The Hill]

I think it has been established that overall there is a safety argument in favour of wearing a bike helmet.
By passing this law they leave the adult to make a free choice as to weather they accept this or wish to take some risk by not wearing a helmet for whatever reason.
As a child is deemed not able to make such decision (in the same way as we legislate to make the use of childs car seats compulsory and not leave it to the child to decide) it is made compulsory for children.

What is the problem with that?

 

[summerdays]

The problem is that kids may choose not to wear a helmet and therefore not to ride. With younger children I think it is a good idea to wear a helmet as their skulls are thinner and they have more low speed crashes - but at that age their parents are likely to very influential in their helmet wearing or not. Once you are talking about teenagers they are perhaps the group that should be cycling from a trying to keep them active, freedom etc but they are also the group that is most image concious.

But using your seat belt analogy I am worried that the seat belt rules changed ... when my eldest was pre 5 she could move out of a seat when she was 3, then it changed for my second child to 6, and by the time we were onto the third child they changed the rules so that the middle child had theoretically to go back into a child seat until she was 10. Is it the start of compulsion for everyone?

I also think in the same way that seat belt rules (and helmet wearing) amongst children are much higher in middle class areas, than in the council estate areas and that the same affect would be seen in helmet wearing.

I wear a helmet myself, but I don't want to see compulsion for anyone.

 

[Theseus]

I think it has been established that overall there is a safety argument in favour of wearing a bike helmet.

Has it? Could you point me at the published papers that support this. The last analysis I read was not able to provide conclusive evidence either way.

 

[XmisterIS]

I wonder how much it would cost to make proper provision for cyclists on high traffic volume trunk routes and also introduce a "two-wheels awareness" section into the driving test (so that the more doped motorist is forewarned of the presence of bikers and cyclists) ... rather than just slapping a blanket law down about cycle helmets? I mean, what good is a cycle helmet going to do you when an idiot driving 2 tonnes of steel runs you over?

 

[Shaun]

As far as I understand it, the guy who has introduced this has a son who was severely head-injured whilst cycling and left brain damaged (don't quote me 100%, it's just what I picked-up from the TV news whilst getting ready for work).

I can understand his motivation in wanting to make it a safer activity for kids in light of what has happened to his family - goodness knows it must be terrible for them - and I'm glad it's optional for adults, but I do fear for cycling when I hear about compulsory helmet wearing campaigns.

Personally I think it should be optional for everyone.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Has it? Could you point me at the published papers that support this. The last analysis I read was not able to provide conclusive evidence either way.

The Cohrane Collaboration (which did a survey of all valid published literature) did find that helmets overall, decreased the severity of head injuries*. However that still doesn't mean that compulsion makes sense, as factors come into play (most notably discouraging people from cycling at all). The biggest protection for cyclists as a group is more cyclists.

*Although there are no real-world studies, it may be that the rounder the better is a good rule for helmets. There is laboratory and modelling evidence that suggests that the more that helmets 'stick out' from the head the greater the risk of twisting injuries.

That really is all we know on helmets right now, stepping back from the prejudices and politics. (If you want to argue about it, there's a thread in Room 101...)

 

[Beardie]

I visited the link above and out of 90 comments on the message board, I counted 7 in favour of the proposed law (apparently it needs to clear further hurdles) plus a couple of rabidly idiotic anti-cyclist rants. With a bit of luck, this may yet be defeated by Jersey's own public opinion.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Cycle helmets -

A solution to a problem that never existed.

 

[steve52]

so to save tax payers money and preserve freedom any cycling related injuries will only be treated privatly? seems fair to me

 

[steve52]

opps thats head injurys

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

As someone posted above said - it's the motorised vehicles that present the danger and helmets don't protect from that. Indeed one experiment showed that helmet wearing produced closer interaction of car with rider. IMO helmets help for the "learners" who might fall off more often and those who take risks (such as racing).

 

[Over The Hill]

Funny how most skate boarders seem to wear helmets, motorcyclists wear helmets and blokes on building sites wear helmets, but you never hear of anyone being put off doing that activity because they had to wear a helmet.

 

[4F]

Funny how most skate boarders seem to wear helmets, motorcyclists wear helmets and blokes on building sites wear helmets, but you never hear of anyone being put off doing that activity because they had to wear a helmet.

1) Skateboards
Given that you are leaping off various objects and spend a lot of time in the air then there is a fair chance that you and the skateboard will seperate and I would think that wearing a helmet would be a good idea.

2) Motorcyclists
Helmet technology for motorcycles is vastly superior to that of cycle helmet technology and the two cannot be compared.

3) Building sites
Is being a builder now considered to be an activity ? The reason builders wear helmets is because they will not be let on site due to the health and safety police