Compulsory helmet law in NI?

It seems that Northern Ireland could follow Jersey and introduce a compulsory helmet law for cyclists, following a private members bill by SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey.

BBC Story

Understandably, both the CTC and Sustrans are against any such law being introduced.

Interesting story on the Cycling Weekly site about the involvement of Headway in both Jersey and Northern Ireland.

I saw this earlier on. I don’t know how likely it is to be passed.

Good article from cycling weekly.

And on mainland Britain, a report by the Department of Transport, after a review of the available research, says there is no clear evidence to support the view that helmets protect from serious injury.

al the data is out there – more folk will die from the extra cars and the lack of exercise than will be saved by helmets. This is the experience from everywhere that has done this.

All this compulsion sucks
Big brother knows best

if they were that bothered then ciggies would bave been totally banned
as I am sure they cause a few more deaths and injuries than the odd bike accident

also fuels running out and speed kills so why not a compulsory 55 mph speed limit

Quote: serious injury

Would you concede that more minor injuries are protected against such as striking the head off fixtures such as tree branches and minor slow moving falls where the head contacts the ground?

I think we are all adult enough to appreciate that helmets on the balance of it afford more protection than risk to their wearer. Only 2 weeks ago I had to test mine out again.

I have nothing to add apart from I don’t think helmet law should be compulsory apart from for children. Adults can decide what to do with their lives. My view on helmet use has been made quite clear before. Please see previous threads.

Any helmet laws very clearly ignore the rampaging bull in the china shop, as Copenhagenize says. It’s the motorists that cause the deaths and injuries, not the cyclists. Perhaps something should be done about them. Oh no, of course not.

I should clarify also. Against compulsion here. Irrespective of my views on me always wearing one

55mph speed limit and average speed cameras on every road…. 😀 my kinda driving!

the data is out there – more folk will die from the extra cars and the lack of exercise than will be saved by helmets. This is the experience from everywhere that has done this.

Yep. Totally right. I’m totally against any type of ban becasue the effects can only be negative overall.

I should clarify also. Against compulsion here.

Well that saved an argument 😉

What TBC said – I’ve broken 5 helmets I think, I doubt any of them saved my life, but I’m quite happy to have spent £250 avoiding trips to Fortilliam hospital, scars etc.

And I’ve never suffered a rotational injury ( 😉 x 1 million)

Shame if this gets passed, cycling seems to be getting popular in NI.

The question that the MLA in question needs to be asked is who is going to ensure that it is carried out? Is this just another pointless job for the Police? I bet they will be overjoyed.

What happens about kids who leave home with helmets and then take it off. Who is responsible to ensure that they put it back on – or will we have a whole generation of kids who are punished for not wearing a helmet!

Pointless law – perhaps there are other more important items that the MLA could spend is time on!

Another here who’s ‘pro helmet’ ‘anti-compulsion’

Doesn’t look like a keen cyclist does he Mr Ramsey?:

p.ramsey@sdlp.ie

I personally think if you don’t wear a helmet of your own volition then you are an idiot.
Compulsory laws only serve to attempt to protect those idiots who chose not to do something that us non-idiots do as a course of self-preservation.
If the fear of head injuries isn’t enough to make them wear them then a new law sure isn’t going to either!!

I’m sure compulsory helmets would make cycling safer but duller.
Compulsory walking helmets would make walking safer but duller.
ditto driving, sailing, football.
I had a light fitting fall on me whilst recklessly using a P.C. without safety kit

Make em all compulsory or F*** off my cycling

Don’t panic its the NI assembly – nothing ever happens or gets passed on the ‘hill’.

I think the twisted logic is this… Its being proposed by people who don’t cycle, but are worried they might crash their cars into the increasing numbers of cyclists. Forcing them to where helmets will mean you don’t have to worry any more, “solving” the problem by lowering the perceived risk of danger to cyclist by drivers car, whilst not actually solving the problem of cyclists being run over.

This is backed up the usual comments about road tax, insurance, traffic lights, pavements and license plates.

High Climber said “I personally think if you don’t wear a helmet of your own volition then you are an idiot.”

I take it you wear a helmet when driving, walking or any time you are drinking because those activities are responsible for more head injuries than cycling.

“around 135,000 people are admitted to hospital each year as a consequence of brain injury”

http://www.headway.org.uk/facts.aspx

In 2008 2,565 cyclists were killed or seriously injured in road crashes of which 49% had injuries to the head or face. Say around 1300 cyclists with head or face injuries.

http://www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/transport/promotingsafecycling.jsp?page=2

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that every face injury was a head injury a helmet might have helped. So around 1% of head injuries are to cyclists but we are the group getting singled out for compulsion?

Cyclists admitted to hospital following collisions with motor vehicles are most likely to have injuries to the head or face (49%)

.

by that fact alone I stand by my opinion that people are idiots for not wearing a helmet when cycling on the road.

I’ll rarely cycle without a helmet but making them compulsory will just stop more people cycling, resulting in more deaths through lack of exercise and increased road traffic.

highclimber, I take it people who don’t where full facers are also idiots. Because that bit of plastic on top of your head sure isn’t protecting your face.

I didn’t specify what type of helmet one should be using, but using one [full face] makes you less of an idiot than those who choose to do without one entirely.

Why are “Mandatory Helmet” law always proposed by “Fat Barstools” who have never been on a bike on a billon years.

the bike chain: Would you concede that more minor injuries are protected against such as striking the head off fixtures such as tree branches and minor slow moving falls where the head contacts the ground?

possibly – although its almost impossible to prove. However does the helmet also make you less worried about minor falls and therefore take bigger risks?

LHS:I have nothing to add apart from I don’t think helmet law should be compulsory apart from for children.

and yet most children I see have inappropriately fitted helmets which offer little protection (or may even be more dangerous) – but would in all likelihood not result in any enforcement action.

highclimber :
Cyclists admitted to hospital following collisions with motor vehicles are most likely to have injuries to the head or face (49%)

by that fact alone I stand by my opinion that people are idiots for not wearing a helmet when cycling on the road. Its a shame that you didn’t quote the whole section! Which continues: “… [helmets] are most effective at low impact speeds (approximately 13 mph or less), such as when a cyclist falls from a cycle without the involvement of other vehicles.”. i.e. helmet not very effective in the situation you are most concerned about (hence why such high proportion of injury despite the relatively high levels of helmet use).

Why are “Mandatory Helmet” law always proposed by “Fat Barstools” who have never been on a bike on a billon years.

Yeah, Eric Martlew was a big tub of lard as well.

For me, the effectiveness of helmets has been shown again and again, through personal experience and research. Still don’t want to see them made compulsory though, for adults or children.

I personally think if you don’t wear a helmet of your own volition then you are an idiot.

Well personally I think anybody who thinks all those not choosing to wear helmets are idiots is themselves a complete idiot. Hope that’s alright with you?

stuff the data, bring on compulsory wearing of helmets I say, I cant imagine why anyone rides a bike without one to be honest. It’s like not wearing a seatbelt in a car!

I cant imagine why anyone rides a bike without one to be honest.

Meanwhile, in Scotchlandshire, an Englishman sits in front of his computer fuming with rage…..

(If you’re out there, TJ, come back! You know you want to!)

If you are making helmets compulsory what about full body armour, in my experience more cyclists in collision with cars die from organ injury than head injury.

What next air bags!? Off road yeah but that only time I put a lid on is when the wife nags me otherwise I use my high viz hat and that makes me stand out more.

russjp – Member

stuff the data, bring on compulsory wearing of helmets I say…

obviously you include pedestrians, friday night drinkers, people using a ladder or operating a deck-chair…

they’re all dangerous activities with an associated risk of head injury.

😉

Missed out angry wife. 😈

I believe the evidence is quite clear that all drivers should be wearing flame proof overalls and crash helmets. Think of the lives it would save.

I also believe the number of injuries that are sustained from falls getting into and out of baths and showers mean the only safe thing is to ban bathrooms immediately.

It is common knowledge that some people are alergic to nuts, we should be taking every effort to irradicate the planet of the scourge of peanuts.

It is also common knowledge that people have been known to die from bee stings..

Sod it the only solution is to nuke the planet, it is the only safe thing to do.

FFS

Well personally I think anybody who thinks all those not choosing to wear helmets are idiots is themselves a complete idiot. Hope that’s alright with you?

Yeah that’s fine with me we are all entitled to our own opinions.

I will run the risk of being an idiot by your definition without the risk of being an idiot by mine.

Statistics aside, I definitely believe wearing one is a much more sensible option and my justification for this is that it effing hurts when your head hits the ground and I firmly believe that had I not been wearing one when I got knocked off by a taxi my injury would have been a lot worse.