Should helmet laws be relaxed?

[craig1985]

http://www.news.com.au/national/bid-to-axe-cycle-helmet-law-riles-state/story-e6frfkvr-1226183149319

In Australia it's compulsory to wear a helmet at all times. I actually think this guy puts forward a decent argument despite the comments below the article, I will always wear a helmet when I go on a training ride, but if I want to ride to my local café or to the corner store, I don't see why I need to wear a helmet when the chances of me having a crash and being hurt are almost minimal.

I don't see the problem when taking your helmet off when you go climbing a mountain, but I will always have it on for the descent. However, I don't think filming the clip in Europe is truly accurate as the attitude to cyclists over there (mainly on the continent) and in Australia is a lot different. I've ridden through Paris along the Champs-Élysées, and around the Place de la Concorde at around 12:30pm on a work day and I was never beeped and was given room, despite it was my first time riding on the other side of the road. I went for a late afternoon 50km ride around Verona once, this time sans helmet, and again, no problem from motorists.

 

[woodie]

I think it's a good law. I'm very pro helmet because of three crashes i've had where I have landed on my head. Helmet's aren't that much of a problem to throw on but I can see the point about the short ride, at the same time it only takes one second for an accident to happen. Also they're made light and with plenty of ventilation so saying they are hot and uncomfortable is kind of grasping at straws imo.

Personally I will always wear my helmet no matter how far my ride is because i believe it's saved my life (or a very long hospital visit) 3 times.

Also I don't think the attitude in Australia is right for helmets not to be mandatory and I think anyone who doesn't wear one (especially in Aus) is a fool.

 

[nowhereman]

Are we a little preoccupied about our hairdos??? Put a lid on it. You never know when you'll be thankful.

 

[GreasyMonkey]

Agree with Woodie, I see it as a good law, and am personally pro-helmet, but others can choose as they wish - it is their head.

In the very early days of the law (1983-4?), there were questions relating to the heat clearance of the one of the main helmets available (Rosebank "Stackhat"), and also in relation to their weight on a young child's head causing intertia-related neck injuries (They were heavy, and all encompassing, very little ventilation), but those arguments have been significantly marginalised with the newer injection-moulded poly-styrene helmets with good ventilation that have been around for the past 15 years or so.

I have had head-on impacts with car-chassis pillars at 60km/h+ and am still a coherent, functioning member of society - without a helmet, maybe dead, or a brain-injury statistic taking up a needed special-care place in a hospital or other medical facility.

My argument against riding sans-helmet is that once you are in a position to maybe need one, it is too late, as you are a passenger (falling, uncontrolled). There is virtually no way to consciously prevent a side impact of your skull on the pavement or worse, the gutter edge, when your front wheel slips on a white line going around a corner at low speed, or crossing a man-hole cover or the railway tracks when they're wet.

A case in point - a friend in Copenhagen, a 4th-year medical student, was just riding to a shop 600 metres down the road, when he got clipped by a car turning right without indicating or looking. He wasn't wearing a helmet, struck his head on a piece of gravel stone, now has brain swelling, possible loss of his career, or at least a setback of 12-18 months since he cannot read much, has touble remembering basic facts of his study, etc.

As a father & husband, I see it as selfish for me to risk (any further.... cycling is a big enough risk) my ability to earn an income to support my family for the want of feeling the wind in my hair, or being too lazy to stick on a brain-box to ride to the shops.

 

[LaFlorecita]

If us Dutchies can ride a bike without hitting the deck, why can't the Ozzies do the same? It's not that hard... And if you fall, how big is the chance you'll actually really damage your head/brains/skull? (I'm talking about rides to city centres etc. and not about training rides.)

 

[The Gnome]

didn't know it was required by law in Australia to wear a helmet...is it the same in Europe?...it didn't used to be when I lived there...just as an aside, I would be very bothered to be told I had to wear a helmet here in Vermont...it is really noone's business how I ride via my own skull...

 

[GreasyMonkey]

If us Dutchies can ride a bike without hitting the deck, why can't the Ozzies do the same? It's not that hard... And if you fall, how big is the chance you'll actually really damage your head/brains/skull? (I'm talking about rides to city centres etc. and not about training rides.)

When an inattentive car driver takes out your front wheel, you're along for the ride, wherever gravity says..... and heads tend to impact straight after the shoulder, with a whip-lash style acceleration to add to the impact speed. If your Dutch streets are nice and clear of stones & debris, no pot-holes or sharp edges then it is probably not too bad, but a sharp-edged stone of 1-2cm size can penetrate the skull far enough to do serious damage, something a cheap foam helmet would probably take up for you with nothing aside a bad headache for a few hours.

The chances are pretty low, but I figure it is an easy way to save my brain-box - that said, all three of my helmets damaged by me falling off with front wheel wipe-outs have had stones 1cm or bigger embedded in them afterwards. Better in the helmet than my skull.

...it is really noone's business how I ride via my own skull...

That is fair comment, as long as you don't expect to be a beneficary of state-provided health care for injuries sustained as a result.
Your fellow taxpayers might not appreciate picking up the tab for extended care of a brain-injury victim who was not complying with the law.

 

[MarkvW]

Somebody else has to foot the medical costs and the brain damage costs. Those people have a right to democratically decide how people ride on their roads.

The foolish young often think either that (a) they are immortal, or (b) that an accident is only a life or death thing. They selectively ignore the tragic consequences of brain damage to their families and the society that must later support them.

Helmets are awesome! Once I took a turn too fast and the wheels went out from under. My head went slambo! on the ground without any time to react. The helmet took the cracking, not me. Can't see why anybody would want to ride without one with all the moronic drivers out there.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Are we a little preoccupied about our hairdos??? Put a lid on it. You never know when you'll be thankful.

agreed. The time you wish you had your helmet on could be the time you'll least expect it and are therefore paying less attention.

Plus bees... I'd rather have them pinging off my helmet (provided they miss the vents, which they usually do) than getting tangled in my hair.

 

[biokemguy]

Originally Posted by The Gnome
...it is really noone's business how I ride via my own skull...

That is fair comment, as long as you don't expect to be a beneficary of state-provided health care for injuries sustained as a result.
Your fellow taxpayers might not appreciate picking up the tab for extended care of a brain-injury victim who was not complying with the law.

This is the essence of helmet, seat belt and other personal safety laws.
In the US, where you are responsible for the cost of your own heath care (for the most part) going bankrupt from medical costs is a risk we all can take.

Whether it's a good risk is debatable.

 

[Tank Engine]

If us Dutchies can ride a bike without hitting the deck, why can't the Ozzies do the same? It's not that hard... And if you fall, how big is the chance you'll actually really damage your head/brains/skull? (I'm talking about rides to city centres etc. and not about training rides.)

Not sure what the network of cycling tracks is like in Australia, but in the Netherlands it's a different world to here in Ireland. If I were just cycling along tracks, I might well cycle without a helmet. Here, tracks appear from nowhere and then disappear 100m further on. You basically have to cycle along the road. Although, I've never landed on my head, in the last 10 days one car just missed me when overtaking while turning left and another time I had to turn into a side road when a car pulled out into the main road right in front of me. So putting on a helmet is automatic for me.

 

[Arnout]

Meh, I automatically put on my helmet when going out on the race bike.

But when I'm on a normal bike (sorry, non-Dutchies won't understand ) I'm more concerned with my hairstyle.

 

[The Gnome]

I actually ride with a helmet...but for all of you armchair tax folks...then do something about all the fat folks swilling dorritos and junk food all day...talk about that...do you really want to regulate via that stuff and health care?

 

[The Gnome]

That is fair comment, as long as you don't expect to be a beneficary of state-provided health care for injuries sustained as a result.
Your fellow taxpayers might not appreciate picking up the tab for extended care of a brain-injury victim who was not complying with the law.

you must get very upset by folks not living life to the a plus level...I feel for you and keep worrying about taxes ect...

 

[Martin318is]

you must get very upset by folks not living life to the a plus level...I feel for you and keep worrying about taxes ect...

Actually its a quite fair point and it is one that the goverment is currently dealing with motorbikes. Essentially they are saying that the amount of TAC assistance a motorcyclist receives after an accident will reduce if they are shown to have not been wearing proper safety equipment (boots, gloves, leathers or kevlars, etc). I think that is entirely appropriate - why should the TAC premium on my registration be as high as it is if it is going to be covering medical treatment and rehab for someone who was wearing a singlet and thongs riding like an idiot on beach road? (they do that all the time).

To answer your point above this post, that is EXACTLY what happens with health insurance and obese people.

To put it another way, why would you expect the same insurance cover as the person next to you if your premium is the same but your risk category is much higher?

 

[ElChingon]

Yet, when those brain dead motorcyclist donate an organ due to being brain dead no one gets any money. Something tells me though that someone along the line charges the recipient with some fee for it.

 

[Hawkwood]

I always wear a helmet, however three cycling friends of mine have died in cycling crashes (one race, one training, one commuting), none wore a helmet, and none would have been saved by a helmet. All three were in collision with other road vehicles, a lorry, car and motorcycle.

 

[Kiara is a rational girl]

Hey, people.

In a country that enjoys a reputation of being 'free', the social cost incurred by denying cyclists their choice of headwear must surely outweigh the monetary cost to the taxpayer, which, by all accounts, must be but a drop in the tax-revenue ocean. You might not mind the law's restriction on you, but, hey, nor did 1984's Outer Party (that is not a direct comparison, but an example to illustrate that not being affected by how sorely oppressed you are doesn't alter the fact that you are, indeed, oppressed).

 

[Boeing]

 

[briztoon]

I think it's moronic for some one to go out riding without a helmet. I've only come off my bike once. A clip stack and I'm glad I was wearing a helmet at the time.

Also, I think non Aussies don't understand the dangers idiotic motorists pose towards cyclists here. When I go riding, it's with a very defensive attitude, and I pick and choose where I go riding depending on the time and day. I just thank god I can walk to work (just across the road) instead of riding my bike to work.

We are a very spread out country and rely on the motor vehicle probably more than any other country. Many motorists see cyclists as a pest on the road. Some motorists will play "games" with cyclists. I feel lucky if I only cop the occassional verbal abuse. It's hard to explain the antipathy many motorists have for cyclists to europeans who come from cycling nations.

If I come across polite motorists I go out of my to thank them if I get the chance.

We also have very poor bicycle infrastructure. We do have cycling lanes, but they also double as parking lanes, so dooring is a real fear for many cyclists, especially in built up inner city areas where parking is at a premium. Move out of these lanes in these areas to avoid the risk and you can experience the full wrath of motorists.

Or these "cycling" lanes just end. In my susburb there's one that ends right on a tight corner, so the cyclists has to ride on the edge of the road and hope there isn't a car coming from both directions. I can think of 3 cycling lanes that just end half way up hills on major roads in my area. WTF is up with that? Your slugging it out and all of a sudden have to contend with traffic that wasn't there a second ago. Then the cycling lane reappears 300 metres further on. WTFx2!!

One is on steep hill that goes from one lane to two lanes where the cycling lane ends and is a night mare during peak hour. This hill is on the only route between my place and my parents place and I ride over my parents place atleast once a week to give my dad a hand around the yard. I always leave earlier to avoid the peak hour traffic.

Speaking of peak hour, it lasts from 3pm to 6pmish up here in Queensland. It starts at 3pm with all the parents picking thier kids up from school in thier SUV's and 4WD's. Just as this eases off, the tradies all start heading home, and then all the white collar workers head home.

And don't get me started about riding at night. If you're not prepared to put reflective strips on certain parts of your bike so you're highly visible, because it'll ruin the look of your bike, then you're a bloody idiot to borrow a local phrase.

 

[Tank Engine]

I think it's moronic for some one to go out riding without a helmet. I've only come off my bike once. A clip stack and I'm glad I was wearing a helmet at the time.

Also, I think non Aussies don't understand the dangers idiotic motorists pose towards cyclists here. When I go riding, it's with a very defensive attitude, and I pick and choose where I go riding depending on the time and day. I just thank god I can walk to work (just across the road) instead of riding my bike to work.

We are a very spread out country and rely on the motor vehicle probably more than any other country. Many motorists see cyclists as a pest on the road. Some motorists will play "games" with cyclists. I feel lucky if I only cop the occassional verbal abuse. It's hard to explain the antipathy many motorists have for cyclists to europeans who come from cycling nations.

If I come across polite motorists I go out of my to thank them if I get the chance.

We also have very poor bicycle infrastructure. We do have cycling lanes, but they also double as parking lanes, so dooring is a real fear for many cyclists, especially in built up inner city areas where parking is at a premium. Move out of these lanes in these areas to avoid the risk and you can experience the full wrath of motorists.

Or these "cycling" lanes just end. In my susburb there's one that ends right on a tight corner, so the cyclists has to ride on the edge of the road and hope there isn't a car coming from both directions. I can think of 3 cycling lanes that just end half way up hills on major roads in my area. WTF is up with that? Your slugging it out and all of a sudden have to contend with traffic that wasn't there a second ago. Then the cycling lane reappears 300 metres further on. WTFx2!!

One is on steep hill that goes from one lane to two lanes where the cycling lane ends and is a night mare during peak hour. This hill is on the only route between my place and my parents place and I ride over my parents place atleast once a week to give my dad a hand around the yard. I always leave earlier to avoid the peak hour traffic.

Speaking of peak hour, it lasts from 3pm to 6pmish up here in Queensland. It starts at 3pm with all the parents picking thier kids up from school in thier SUV's and 4WD's. Just as this eases off, the tradies all start heading home, and then all the white collar workers head home.

And don't get me started about riding at night. If you're not prepared to put reflective strips on certain parts of your bike so you're highly visible, because it'll ruin the look of your bike, then you're a bloody idiot to borrow a local phrase.

Sounds pretty much like Ireland. The Netherlanders and their neighbours definitely have it good.

 

[fatandfast]

Grew up in the SW US. Often summer temps 110 and above. Many legal battles about heat and ventilation. Had many crashes on all kind of two wheeled things. Bicycle helmets are the least impressive devices ever invented. I still wonder why falling off a motorcycle at 30mph on pavement and falling off a bicycle on the same surface would not require a similar level of protection. Not by law but by logic.

Knew an older guy, who's son was involved in an accident, pretty low speed, got a head injury, severe damage for life. Mid 20's can't speak, walk, work or talk. The initial treatments used every available dollar from insurance coverage. People who say, which I used to be one."Let those who ride decide" may have a point but other people paying into an insurance pool should have some say about super risky things fellow pool members do.

To all people living outside the US, you have no idea how screwed up our healthcare system is. If you have national healthcare you should have to wear a helmet for the benefit of all the non bike riders that are sharing the risk with you.

 

[pedaling squares]

It took far too long for someone to reference Orwell. We're not on our game today.

I live in a place where helmets are mandatory. Haven't seen anyone get ticketed for not wearing one, but the law is in place. I have taken two people to hospital who crashed and banged their helmets off the asphalt. One who crashed at speed riding in a bunch, one who had his front wheel taken out by a pedestrian at very low speed. The guy riding slowly through town was worse off, he slammed directly into the ground where the faster guy kind of bounced and slid along. Anyhoo, the ER doc looked at both (damaged) helmets and figured that they probably prevented skull fractures. All this to say that you have to consider the lowest common denominator; morons are still un-licenced and walk/drive/ride freely among us and you never know when some moron is going to take you out. Wear what you want to wear, but don't think that you are immune to moronicy and don't kid yourself about being able to twist like a cat in mid-air and prevent your head from touching down. Although that dopey master in the Spiderman skinsuit could probably do it.

If we want to change a law, perhaps we should start by lobbying for a moron registry.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

I ride with a helmet on my racebike.
I never ride with a helmet (and so doesn't anybody I know) on my normal bike I use to go to school, bakery, pub, friends, ...

And I truly believe that's how it should be. But making it a law? Definitively not.

BTW: everybody I know rides a bike, nobody I know died of it. I do know people who died on a motorcycle or in a car, although not everybody uses it. Priorities.

 

[Martin318is]

It took far too long for someone to reference Orwell. We're not on our game today.

Yep, all we need to wait for now is a reference to Hitler or Stalin!


oh, wait......


damn


Anyway, I think the Aus law could be relaxed a little bit. There is a difference between riding a bike on the road and more casually in say a park. Footpaths are not allowed anyway by law so they don't need to be covered by a rule change. But Perhaps if the law were relaxed to say that adults using the Melbourne bike hire bikes didnt need helmets if they stay in bike lanes and adults riding off roadways don't need to wear a helmet?

In terms of kids, as a parent I am very happy to have a law in place to 18 (I just wish it were enforced more seriously). It takes away much of the peer pressure for my daughters to not wear one. In fact, at their school the kids appear to have very good attitudes to using them, which is a good sign. What they do when they are older is their business, but while they are not even teenagers I REALLY don't want them having the types of crashes I saw as a kid without a helmet