Un-ban The Helmet Rule.

[danjo007]

im not going to bother wading through such a stupid thread. boardhanger.. _____

any fool not wearing a helmet is either A) brain damaged, or B) about to be brain damaged!

 

[luckyboy]

Worst poster I've seen on this board. And that's saying something.

 

[barn yard]

Do you have the details of this statistic? I'd like to know how many more people played football than rode bikes in that population. Also the extent of the injuries, ie if football players had lots of concussions from banging heads together when competing for a ball, vs cyclists who had less but more severe injuries from banging their head on solid objects at speed.

i did 3 days ago when i posted but not at hand right now

i am talking australian rules football

more people cycle than play football in this country fwiw

 

[ultimobici]

Do you have the details of this statistic? I'd like to know how many more people played football than rode bikes in that population. Also the extent of the injuries, ie if football players had lots of concussions from banging heads together when competing for a ball, vs cyclists who had less but more severe injuries from banging their head on solid objects at speed.

The Australian Law is touted as reducing head injuries in cyclists. In statistical terms it succeeded. New Zealand introduced compulsion in the early 90's. Far from having a positive effect on head injuries, it actually was shown that the percentage reduction in head injuries was almost identical to the percentage reduction in cyclists. IOW it had an overall effect of SFA!
http://www.cycle-helmets.com/zealand_helmets.html

 

[Mongol_Waaijer]

It's European socialism at its finest. All cars can be restricted to the speed limit but that'd cost money outa certain peoples pockets. Cycling has become more popular past 10years. And we the cycling mass have been ripped off. I know. I've spent about 25,000 notes in the last decade at least. But some dimwald in York, England wants to tell me to shut up and stop complaining about it? The helmet ban in "pro cycling" is destroying the sport asthesically.

Yes you're definitely right - The hiking up of prices for cycling gear multiple times is European Socialism at its finest.

And here I am in "socialist" Holland (a capitalist economy currently about to experiment with a right wing government including a neo fascist anti muslim populist), where helmets are not compulsory for anyone riding a bike, unless they happen to race - as that is UCI rules.

Try visiting amsterdam one time, a very left wing city, but with a strong tradition of rule breaking, rebellion and free thinking, but a large nanny state municipal authority - and observe the cyclists ignoring laws left right and centre, all without helmets. Germany and France - also: No helmet laws.

But lool at all these damn Euro-socialist countries that (in places) make people wear a helmet: Australia(!), Canada, USA(!!), Israel(!!!), New Zealand.

Damn those Euro Commies!

 

[bobs nob]

Easiest way to make me stop reading a thread

How do these arguments inevitably become political arguments?

My participation here is dropping way off (and no, you shouldn't care) but is it possible to keep the politics out of every single thread? Truly tasteless.

There's a politics thread. Keep it there. All of us.
Peace.

 

[Wallace]

How do these arguments inevitably become political arguments?

My participation here is dropping way off (and no, you shouldn't care) but is it possible to keep the politics out of every single thread? Truly tasteless.

There's a politics thread. Keep it there. All of us.
Peace.

For the record, in America 17 states plus the District of Columbia have laws requiring children (varies from state to state, from 13 to 17 and under) to wear helmets. There is no law here that requires adults to wear helmets.

If you choose to race, which is a free choice, you are required to wear a helmet. No politics involved at all.

Although I'd like to add that judging from this thread, there should be a law requiring boardhanger to wear a helmet. At all times. My suspicion is that is hatred of helmets is based on his having to wear one all day long.

 

[Benotti69]

In Italy you won't see a professional cyclist or any serious junior racers wearing a helmet when training. An hour ago i just passed 12 acqua & sapone riders out training through a busy town, all throwing shapes and not one helmet and plenty of them looking more at the university students of the female variety then the road ahead...

i prefer if people had the choice. Too many laws in western society and most of them made with hidden agendas which normally are financially beneficial to the few and not the many. Probably not in the case of helmets, but definitely other laws.

my 2 cents.

 

[bobs nob]

For the record, in America 17 states plus the District of Columbia have laws requiring children (varies from state to state, from 13 to 17 and under) to wear helmets. There is no law here that requires adults to wear helmets.

If you choose to race, which is a free choice, you are required to wear a helmet. No politics involved at all.

Although I'd like to add that judging from this thread, there should be a law requiring boardhanger to wear a helmet. At all times. My suspicion is that is hatred of helmets is based on his having to wear one all day long.

Nooooo. No politics involved. All of the political analogies in the last few pages are just imaginary.

In addition to the never ending tedium of conventional cycling wisdom, the forum's most regular participants raise the technique of intentionally missing the point to an art form.

 

[Wallace]

Nooooo. No politics involved. All of the political analogies in the last few pages are just imaginary.

In addition to the never ending tedium of conventional cycling wisdom, the forum's most regular participants raise the technique of intentionally missing the point to an art form.

My point, which seems to have slipped off or past your ***, is that while there certainly have been no shortage of posts about the political nature of helmet use in the pages here, outside of these pages helmet use is entirely apolitical. The analogies here are, in case you missed it, kind of imbecilic.

 

[badboyberty]

If the Government and our individuals are really obsessed with safety, then we should make all Cars Day-Glow orange, drivers should have three way harnesses and they would wear helmets whilst going to Wal-Mart.

yeah. Maybe force some of them to not bother getting in the car and driving to Walmart but instead walk down to a local independently owned small business instead.

Drive a piece of machinery through a construction site, 15km/hr, bright yellow and a flashing light; drive an SUV down an inner-city street and yeah do 50kms/hr and dull grey is fine.

 

[Archibald]

But lool at all these damn Euro-socialist countries that (in places) make people wear a helmet: Australia(!), Canada, USA(!!), Israel(!!!), New Zealand.

reckon this may have more to do with the poor attitudes of these country's drivers towards cyclists...
also [allegedly] connected with trying to keep the costs down of their health systems as well

 

[Spare Tyre]

Every time the compulsory helmet law comes up for public discussion in Melbourne (via newspapers etc) someone from a hospital Emergency department or with a link to something neurosurgical chips in to point out the reduced level of injury for cyclists who wear helmets.

I'm happy to cycle sans helmet in Bali, where the chaotic traffic moves quite slowly (often 20-30kmh), there is an absence of road rage and drivers give way readily. People really do share roads in Bali.

I'm really happy to wear a helmet in Melbourne, where traffic moves much faster, drivers are often very aggressive and roads are seen by many people as rightfully belonging to the drivers of cars. For a small price and 'annoyance factor' I can reduce my likelihood of injury or death, and for a similar price others can do me (& everyone else) the favour of keeping the costs of medical treatment and health insurance down.

 

[bobs nob]

My point, which seems to have slipped off or past your ***, is that while there certainly have been no shortage of posts about the political nature of helmet use in the pages here, outside of these pages helmet use is entirely apolitical. The analogies here are, in case you missed it, kind of imbecilic.

If you don't go back and read your response to my original post, your revisionism might actually stick.