The Ultimate Brakeless/Front/Rear/How many brakes? thread

andyf [quote]damo
strangely though, the correlation with increased safety from helmets on bikes. is due to less people riding bikes.
same with wearing seat belts. increases risk taking behaviour in drivers and leads to more pedestrian deaths. only time that seatbelts being introduced lead to less car deaths. was in england. in the 1970s. in the oil crisis. when less people drove.

that's what a man down the pub told me.

Sorry, but whatever you choose to do, at least know the right reasons.

Seatbelts do lead to less car deaths, massively so, just like wearing a helmet will reduce head injuries in the case of an accident. And the arguement that wearing a seatbelt/helmet increases risky behaviour and therefore increases accidents is complete rubbish. Just an excuse some guy made up to explain to his girlfriend why he doesn't wear a helmet.

I don't wear a helmet because it feels uncomfortable/looks uncool/messes up my hair/whatever. I also realise that if I have a serious accident I'm more likely to get f**ked up. Just accept it.[/quote]

It's not rubbish, sunshine, and I think you need to have a look at some literature on risk compensation.

Risk compensation is a well-recognised phenomenon in road 'safety'. As people feel safer, they engage in riskier behaviour. A cursory read of Robert Davis' book 'Death on the streets' will enlighten you.