Scary stuff - complaint to the ASA

Hello, I've just heard that there has been a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about the latest Transport for London advertising campaign as the cyclists are pictured without helmets. The ASA are now contacting TfL to investigate - but I can't see that they have any case at all given that helmet wearing is not compulsory. I might take it upon myself to complain to the ASA the next time I see a campaign showing cyclists wearing helmets, as it depicts cycling as more dangerous activity than it is. Will be interested to see the outcome...

Link please?

Insider knowledge!

Ach.

It's only a matter of time before it becomes compulsory. Bah.

If that happens I'm converting to Sikhism.

But you would have to wear a turban though. They're not the easiest thing to put on and it seems quite an extreme length to go to avoid wearing a helmet.

Sadly I think you're right :-(

I disagree. The move for compulsory helmet law is led only by a vocal minority. Provided it doesn't turn onto a polarised issue then I don't think compulsory helmeting is likely to become law. On the other hand I do strongly back moves to encourage helmet use among children. Not so much for the safety aspect but to promote cycling as something that has a risk element and needs to be treated with an appropriate level of respect.

I doubt the ASA will find in the favour of the plaintiff in this instance.

Duffy didn't wear a helmet in that Diet Coke advert.

Mind you, she was drinking Diet Coke which is a risky enough business in itself.

With the higher potential for calcium leaching you would have thought a full body suit would be mandatory for people who drink coke or pepsi.

What's calcium leaching? As someone who is lactose intolerant should I be concerned given that I drink a can of coke a day on average?

Sorry to go all serious for a second but that sounds important.

coke is basically poison that strips your body of calcium, causes muscle damage and other peasantries

So really from a medical point of view I'm a class A idiot. I don't have a lot of calcium in my diet because I can't drink milk, but I drink a fair bit of a drink that removes what little calcium I have left in me...

It's like elective osteoporosis. Apparently this is a bad thing in women although I can't see it being good for anyone.

Eat lots of rhubarb and spinach.

see the 'catch up with the bicycle' ads here:

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/theWork/news/907945/gallery/4856/page/1/#4856

also, has anyone posted the clip yet of our lovely mayor nearly being annihilated by a truck dragging a parked car down the street?

coke is basically poison that strips your body of calcium, causes muscle damage and other peasantries

and gives your body a massive sugar injection in a liquid form i.e. rapidly absorbed.
Your body simply cannot use such a huge energy injection and therefore converts most of it into fat. Hence the massive obesity & diabetes problem all western countries are facing. It's not eating fat that makes people fat - it's eating sugar. Next time you're at the supermarket check out what's in the fat persons trolley - gallons of fizzy drink and other sugary things.

Personally i think all food with additives and excess sugar should be taxed proportionately to their additive and sugar content. Also all those sugary breakfast "cereals" should be in the confectionary aisle and labelled as confectionary.

also, has anyone posted the clip yet of our lovely mayor nearly being annihilated by a truck dragging a parked car down the street?

He had a helmet on, would have been fine.

and gives your body a massive sugar injection in a liquid form i.e. rapidly absorbed.
Your body simply cannot use such a huge energy injection and therefore converts most of it into fat. Hence the massive obesity & diabetes problem all western countries are facing. It's not eating fat that makes people fat - it's eating sugar. Next time you're at the supermarket check out what's in the fat persons trolley - gallons of fizzy drink and other sugary things.

Personally i think all food with additives and excess sugar should be taxed proportionately to their additive and sugar content. Also all those sugary breakfast "cereals" should be in the confectionary aisle and labelled as confectionary.

Yes - this is a thread about stupid complaints to the ASA, and I don't want to derail it, but fat in your diet and fat in your body shouldn't be called the same thing, whatever the chemistry. Body fat should be called person sugar, or adipose tissue, or something like that.

He had a helmet on, would have been fine.

And plenty of body f*t

Meh.. it's compulsory in Oz.. and we do ok.

It's only a matter of time before it becomes compulsory. Bah.

I can't see that, all studies have shown that mandatory helmet use would lead to a decrease in societal health, through people being put off casual cycling.

I can't see that, all studies have shown that mandatory helmet use would lead to a decrease in societal health, through people being put off casual cycling.

And Government policy always follows scientific studies to provide the safest possible environment for citizens?

I could give you 100 examples where that is not the case.

Government run advertising campaigns should show people wearing helmets, I wouldn't go to the length of complaining about it and doubt I would even notice if I saw a sign which showed otherwise though... I think wearing a helmet shouldn't be compulsory - if someone wants to put to put ***their ***comfort ahead of ***their ***safety that's fine with me.

I always wear a helmet though, and I'm glad I do because I would probably be dead otherwise. Was about 3am, January sometime... It was a fairly warm day for January, about 10 degrees. This was just a few days before all the snow. Suddenly while I was round my friends house it had dropped from about 10C in the afternoon to about -3C at 3am. This caused a very small amount of condensation on the ground, which froze.

I went round a corner REALLY wide so I didn't have to lean much and could keep pedalling and keep my speed up, probably around 20mph. WHOOSH, my bike fell at a right angle from underneath me, and I fell directly sideways onto the road. I hit the ground so hard that the other side of my neck than what hit the ground got sprained, my helmet got cracked straight through and if I had been knocked unconscious I would have been lying on the ground in -3C temperature with very little clothes on (cycling was keeping me warm). Noone would have found me until about 3 hours later.

And Government policy always follows scientific studies to provide the safest possible environment for citizens?

I could give you 100 examples where that is not the case.

If they are changing the law they like to have evidence. The evidence base for wearing helmets isn't up to scratch at the moment.