I had a small success today, in opening the eyes of a staunch pro-helmeteer to the possibility that they are not a panacea.
Tactics used included:
1) No proof that they reduce death or injury statistics
2) Even if a piece of polystyrene on the head might help, it is only in limited circumstances and only, obviously, helps with head injuries
3) Risk transference, with evidence that cars pass closer to helmeted cyclists
4) The possibility that the increased size of a helmeted head might mean it would hit something that a bare scalp would miss
5) Helmets have snag points, which might make injuries worse
6) Many helmets are badly fitted, thus rendering them even more likely to be useless or dangerous
7) Helmets make cycling appear dangerous, and it isn't as cyclists live longer, on average, than non-cyclists. Making helmet use compulsory could, therefore, increase the population mortality by putting people off cycling.
8) Helmets help most with single-vehicle accidents. Involve anything motorised and the chances of any actual benefit are reduced because of the chance of other fatal injuries
9) The dangers on the road, to cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders (always a soft-spot for a WI member of a certain age) come from motorised vehicles. Making cars and lorries safer, through design, training and a new attitude to those who use them as weapons.
I'm sure there were more besides these but I was most pleased to have made her understand that helmets can be useful and that people should always be allowed the choice to wear one but that attempting to make them compulsory could actually have the opposite outcome to the one they desire.
Anyway, to the point of this thread, the person I was discussing this with is a quite active member of the Women's Institute who blustered at me for not wearing a helmet on my bike today. It appears that they are building a campaign to attempt making it compulsory to wear helmets. I've turned the mind of one of them but there's chuffing thousands of them, and they are a daunting bunch, so I think I'll need some help with this.
Although, since I got home, it does appear that there are some powerful hitters on my team too. 
Tactics used included:
1) No proof that they reduce death or injury statistics
2) Even if a piece of polystyrene on the head might help, it is only in limited circumstances and only, obviously, helps with head injuries
3) Risk transference, with evidence that cars pass closer to helmeted cyclists
4) The possibility that the increased size of a helmeted head might mean it would hit something that a bare scalp would miss
5) Helmets have snag points, which might make injuries worse
6) Many helmets are badly fitted, thus rendering them even more likely to be useless or dangerous
7) Helmets make cycling appear dangerous, and it isn't as cyclists live longer, on average, than non-cyclists. Making helmet use compulsory could, therefore, increase the population mortality by putting people off cycling.
8) Helmets help most with single-vehicle accidents. Involve anything motorised and the chances of any actual benefit are reduced because of the chance of other fatal injuries
9) The dangers on the road, to cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders (always a soft-spot for a WI member of a certain age) come from motorised vehicles. Making cars and lorries safer, through design, training and a new attitude to those who use them as weapons.
I'm sure there were more besides these but I was most pleased to have made her understand that helmets can be useful and that people should always be allowed the choice to wear one but that attempting to make them compulsory could actually have the opposite outcome to the one they desire.
Anyway, to the point of this thread, the person I was discussing this with is a quite active member of the Women's Institute who blustered at me for not wearing a helmet on my bike today. It appears that they are building a campaign to attempt making it compulsory to wear helmets. I've turned the mind of one of them but there's chuffing thousands of them, and they are a daunting bunch, so I think I'll need some help with this.
Although, since I got home, it does appear that there are some powerful hitters on my team too. 
