Three deaths by bike helmet

[goodlookingcyclist]

stuff

Ah, now i get it...
You don't like the helmet law...

I don't like it either, but yet strangely enough , i don't agree with you...
If you wanna make an argument, make a good one.

[Aushiker]

Hi

The actual letter to the editor which started all this is posted here ... might be useful for informed discussion

Andrew

[kunama]

I for one believe 'the steves' should be allowed to ride without a helmet if they wish, after all how much more damage can such a brain sustain?

Seriously now, I lost a friend a few years ago when he was hit by a car while riding without a helmet,
my wife did the scans on him Post Mortem and the only injury he had sustained was a brain injury which even a $5.00 helmet would have prevented.

To see the faces of his friends, siblings and parents at the funeral was enough of a reminder for me to always ride with a helmet.

The helmet law is necessary to protect the simpletons amongst us from themselves.

[il padrone]

The helmet law is necessary to protect the simpletons amongst us from themselves.

....while driving their smokeboxes too

[sogood]

The helmet law is necessary to protect the simpletons amongst us from themselves.

....while driving their smokeboxes too

Mandatory for all L and P platers. But may lead to bravado behaviours behind the steering wheel... Cyclists watch out!

[martinjs]

Don't forget Scarves and those head covers some woman use, they have been known to strangle and KILL people as well. Only last year a woman wearing a head scarves was strangled to death while riding a Go Kart. Lets keep things in perspective, don't forget rope swings guilty as well of killing people.

Where do you draw the line or is it just helmets we are after?

Martin

[il padrone]

Lets keep things in perspective, don't forget rope swings guilty as well of killing people.

For god's sake Martin, where do you find a rope swing today? Or a see-saw?

Council have long ago removed these dangerous objects

[martinjs]

Nope, not all of them they still exist out our way.
Not that I've found a good one in a while, love the old rope swing grew up using them and if I found a good one around here would still use them.

The closest I've found to a good one is a cable rope at a place called Snakes ‘N’ Ladders in Mildura.
You jump of a 3 to 4 Metre High tower and swing up to the same hight in the air, only used it 2 days ago while on holidays. The only differents is you don't jump of into water, you either wait for it to stop or jump of back on the starting steps. I jump of the highest railing, I don't mind a bit of danger my self thanks.

Martin

[Xplora]

But what is wrong with letting people making a choice about helmets? That's ultimately the issue. More people die in car accidents, yet we don't ban cars. More people die from skin cancer, yet people are allowed to suntan. More people die from preventable heart disease, yet we don't enforce exercise regimes. These 3 examples are all paid from the public purse. The tinfoil hat really screams "Govt control" because bicycles are impossible to regulate, especially compared to cars and public transport. What is wrong with letting people decide how much protection they want?

If you want to enforce rules - jogging pace and slower (<20kph) requires nothing, because this is no more risky than running. Greater than that, you put the helmet on, because you are raising your injury risk factor. We force seatbelts in cars... of course, enforcement is going to be virtually impossible if you allow that concession, but honestly, I don't NEED a helmet in my local streets for cycling any more than I need it for a jog.

The simple fact remains that we are a free society. We must educate our people into the wisest move (don't do drugs, don't drink and drive, exercise, eat healthy) but you cannot stop them making choices you don't like. People WILL kill each other until the end of the world. People WILL fall off their bikes, but they aren't guaranteed to hurt themselves if they fall off. Most cyclists just don't do the speeds involved with cars and motorbikes, and don't have the same injury risk profile. If you fall off a pushie at 60kph, you'll need more than a helmet to avoid injury, but armour isn't legislated.
It sucks when people die... no doubt. But banning cycles, or riding without helmets, overlooks the basic reality that you can't create a safe utopia.