Remember kids... always wear a helmet. (The almighty bikeradar helmet thread)

Common sense ennit?

"...My little bit is lecturing people on the lack of evidence for the benefits of helmets when they tell me what a wonderful cyclist I am for wearing one."

Stop lecturing people on the lack of evidence for the benefits of helmets... in fact stop lecturing.

I was just commenting on perceptions of responsibility. And with cycling it appears to be, for large portions of the public and perhaps mainly the non-cycling public, that if you wear a helmet you are taking appropriate precautions for your actions. If you don't, you are not.

I'm not saying I agree with this; I am merely saying that is what i think the perception seems to be.

It was interesting that, during the cycling debate in the Commons last night, only one (Tory) MP said he would back a compulsory helmet law. And his reason was that cyclists need to take a proper duty of care on the road. (Road.cc have a decent report on who said what.)

If this perception needs to be changed, how does one go about it? Or do non-helmet wearing cyclists just ignore it and continue as normal? Or will this helmet debate rageon for aanother 107 pages with no answers and no solutions?

I think all this is important because until there are more separate spaces for cycling (not silly strips of paint down an a-road or some ridiculous mixed use path which is more hassle than convenience) the brunt of the onus on safety will lie with cyclists and not other road users.

And I think that is wrong.

If this perception needs to be changed, how does one go about it? Or do non-helmet wearing cyclists just ignore it and continue as normal? Or will this helmet debate rageon for aanother 107 pages with no answers and no solutions?

If that is the perception, and that is a big if, then not sure it can be changed as minds have been made up.
And I don't think there really are answers or solutions which is why the debate goes on with no ending. Bringing a law in for compulsory helmet wearing is not a solution but it may happen anyway. A law I will happily break but it may be difficult not to be clearly breaking that particular law while laws such as phone use while driving continually get ignored and the offenders never caught. The law is an ass and so on.

You may be right kerley. But I don't think a mandatory helmet law is forthcoming. But that may be wishful thinking. It's certainly not a solution.

In countries where mandatory helmet laws have been passed, was there much resistance?

In countries where mandatory helmet laws have been passed, was there much resistance?

People just stopped cycling

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1020.html

I was following a few helmeted, hi vized commuters yesterday and some guy pulling out of a side street in a transit pointed at his head and shouted helmet at me, I shook my head and mouthed no, although the word in my head was cunt. At the next set of red lights a bus proceeded to overtake me into the ASL and then turn left in front of me, the transit driver was sat behind the bus. Hopefully he noticed me back up before the lights changed so the bus didn't squish me, and realised that a helmet would have done very little in the collision that didn't happen, but I doubt that.

Snotty, do you get your kid to wear a helmet when she's on a bike?

I used to get our kids to wear them, but don't anymore.

She's never really got into riding (what a disappointment), I chuck one on her when she's on the back of my bike, and would probably stick hers on if she does ever get the hang of her bike, mainly because it's likely to be slow speed falling off away from the road and might stop it hurting her a bit, although from having some slightly old, slightly mental nephews I know that kid's heads are pretty resilient so it's mostly to avoid tears.

One thing I really notice is the amount of room drivers give you with a child seat on the back, even when you fill it with pizza rather than children.

Yeah, it's great isn't it? :)

Hmmm, as she wouldn't fit in a child seat anyway, maybe I should sell my daughter for pizza monies...

Dibs if she splits.

I fail to see how wearing a helmet relates to duty of care.

Indicating, yes. (cos it's polite)
Following laws re working brakes/lights/reflectors (cos laws)
Having hi-vis vest on very dark roads (cos it's polite)
Not jumping red lights (cos law)
Getting out of way of cars if a lane is closed (let them pass, get back on) cos polite.

Helmet: How will that help car drivers around you? Or pedestrians? Or other cyclists?

Must spread rep etc. etc... also, you're a cunt snotty!

One thing I really notice is the amount of room drivers give you with a child seat on the back, even when you fill it with pizza rather than children.

Doesn't work in Belfast where I live...too many kids already maybe :P

There are still those that get too close, it actually pisses me off if the pizza's been replaced with a child, but overall most people give loads more room. It's kind of what cycling should be like.

So you are riding along, with a pizza and someone drives too close and swaps your meal for a kid?

WTF?!?!

Would a helmet protect the pizza from theft or substitution.

Ha, yeah doesn't that piss you off.

Pizzas don't wake you up at 6 in the morning, that's for sure.
Unless it was one from the dodgy kebab place around the corner.

Childseat doubles as a handy shopping carrier. Maybe...you can even use it to transport a helmet...!

Having hi-vis vest on very dark roads (cos it's polite)

Wait, what?

What's wrong with lights?

Wait, what?

What's wrong with lights?

Nothing at all! It's just that hi-vis flashes up nicely at driver height which is handy on dark country roads.

Just trying to be nice, it's facking hard enough driving a car, took me 45 lessons to pass and then you have to share the road with idiots may be as well be nice to drivers while I'm at it.

I will still block white van man/taxi driver out of revenge for not indicating, floating over lanes and carving me up lol.

^, ^^ & ^^^

reflectors ftw.

Wouldn't a head torch and finer flare on the back of your head be a...

Oh wait >>>>>>>>>>>>>> lights thread.