I cannot possibly see an ulterior motive with this 🙄 I would have thought if they had looked beyond the potential pound signs and researched the issue properly, they would figure out that more cyclists living longer will have an even better effect on their turnover.

Wiggle sticking their oar in

Probably not but what sized wheels for a helmet debate?

As far as I can see, they’re not backing it, just stating that Bradley Wiggins is.

oh dear.

they’ll be campaigning to ban sportives in the New Forest next….

I missed the bit in their blog where Wiggle “argues case for law to force cyclists to wear helmets”. The version I read was reporting Wiggo backing a campaign to make helmet wearing compulsory.

EDITOR NOTE: This article was published on behalf of the Ryan Smith Foundation. Wiggle’s stance on the helmet debate remains neutral.

Yes, they appear to be prompting debate while promoting their products rather than categorically supporting helmet wear. I am strongly in the non-cumpulsion camp but apart from the cheeky last line, can’t really complain at wiggle here.

The graph’s genius. Just seen a similar graph on Twitter showing that no cyclists were killed while wearing a pirate fancy dress outfit. They should be compulsory.

As far as I can see, they’re not backing it, just stating that Bradley Wiggins is.

Looks like that is the case, but that blog post is a badly written, terribly cited and pretty much a thinly veiled sales pitch.

It pretends that its point is to elicit debate by asking ‘What are your views?’ on a blog you cannot actually comment on but really its all about the giant button at the bottom that says ‘Shop cycle helmets’

EDIT – even the word helmet in the post is hyperlinked to their stock of crash hats on their site. Whether you agree with compulsion or not, this cheapens the debate IMO.

The editor’s note was only added after a bit of a Twitter backlash.

Other than being a fashionable 16 year old Australian female, why would you choose not to wear a helmet?
I’m not going the whole hog and saying “my helmet saved my life” but I’d have been unthinkable worse off had I not been wearing it.

I’m particularly impressed by the graph they used of deaths by helmet / non-helmet use, using absolute numbers which by themselves actually convey no useful information whatsoever because there’s no reference to the proportion of cyclists who do / do not use helmets (i.e. it could be that actually a higher proportion of the helmet wearing population are being killed than the non-helmet wearers, but there’s just a lot more non-helmet wearers to start with)

And on that “Wiggle is neutral” statement – they seem to have tweeted it originally with “Should helmets be compulsory – WE SAY YES” which doesn’t read as being terribly neutral to me.

Other than being a fashionable 16 year old Australian female, why would you choose not to wear a helmet?
I’m not going the whole hog and saying “my helmet saved my life” but I’d have been unthinkable worse off had I not been wearing it.

*sigh*
Really?

So, compulsory flame retardent suits for drivers? Why would you choose to burn to death when you could be safe?

Compulsory pedestrian helmets for walking up and down stairs, or on the pavement? Why would you choose not to?

I don’t think there are many people who are “anti-helmet”. Just anti-compulsion.

why would you choose not to wear a helmet?

Same reason you choose not to wear a neck brace or spine protector?

Everyone has an acceptable level of risk.

(I mostly choose to wear a helmet, but I’m 100% against compulsion)

*sigh*?

Yes.

I’m yet to learn of somebody I know incinerated while driving. However, I’ve met people that have crashed wearing, and not wearing helmets and “I’m glad I had a helmet on” or “I probably should have worn a helmet” is what I’ve heard from them.

Should be compulsory for under 16’s, anyone over 16 is old enough to choose to be stupid.

dsb181 – Member

Other than being a fashionable 16 year old Australian female, why would you choose not to wear a helmet?

don’t know*, but when faced with the choice; “wear a helmet, or you can’t get on a bike”, it seems lots of people choose the “sod it, i’ll just take the car” option.

lack of exercise is a killer, why put barriers in the way?

(*here’s one, helmets make my head REALLY itchy)

don’t know, but when faced with the choice; “wear a helmet, or you can’t get on a bike”, it seems lots of people choose the “sod it, i’ll just take the car” option.

really? I normally don’t cycle due to lack of parking for bikes, lack of facilities where I am going to shower/change, getting sweaty, journey no practical with a bike.

Own bike, Own helmet where is the issue?

Again there are plenty who would wear a helmet if they were banned just to stick it to the man.

Anyway back to my first point what wheel size are we talking about? 650b is safe as the surface is cumming alive so it will save you…

I’m yet to learn of somebody I know incinerated while driving. However, I’ve met people that have crashed wearing, and not wearing helmets…

More people die of head injuries in cars – do you wear a helmet in the car?
No? There’s that acceptable level of risk again.

when faced with the choice; “wear a helmet, or you can’t get on a bike”, it seems lots of people choose the “sod it, i’ll just take the car” option.

Partly that. I can well imagine what this bloke would say if you told him he had to wear a helmet by law:

But the effect is also partly because helmet compulsion reinforces the idea that cycling is incredibly dangerous and requires specialist safety equipment before you can even contemplate that deadly half-mile ride to the shop on a shared-use pavement.

That “incredibly dangerous” image is already one of the biggest reasons people don’t cycle and don’t let their kids cycle. Reinforcing it leads to a drop in the numbers of people taking up cycling.

What are wiggles’ views on the established church in this country? We haven’t debated that one for a while either!!!

Compulsion isn’t nescessary. If you consider cycling such a high risk activity that you need to wear a lid, wear one. No need to tell others to. But please feel free to sign my campaign to make wearing a helmet in the shower compulsory.

TJ to the Foru…. Oh… 🙁

In abscence of the greatest ever helmet debate, Shit stirrer I shall post this link and retire to a safe distance…

I’m yet to learn of somebody I know incinerated while driving. However, I’ve met people that have crashed wearing, and not wearing helmets and “I’m glad I had a helmet on” or “I probably should have worn a helmet” is what I’ve heard from them.

I’ve been riding bikes for 30 years. I’ve not once banged my head.

Our car was rear-ended ten years ago and my neck’s never quite been right since*. Compulsory neck braces in cars?

Thankfully the plural of anecdote isn’t data, so we get to base decisions on something else.

*ironically, this generally shows up on long bike rides, because of the extra weight of a helmet.

Don’t you see its all a ploy!!!

Helmets compulsory
How do we enforce this?
Number plates for cyclists!!

Can’t have number plates without some kind of test and insurance…

As far as I can see, they’re not backing it, just stating that Bradley Wiggins is.

I do wish professional cyclists would just stick to riding their **** bikes and not trying to get involved in every Tom Dick and Harry campaign that comes their way. What Brad or Cav or Steve Peat or Tracy Moseley do on a day-to-day basis bears no resemblance to what the vast majority of cyclists do or want to do.

I note that the guy behind this campaign isn’t campaigning for vans not to hit people. That seems basically fine so long as the person being hit is wearing a helmet.

And it’s funny that he’s bothered about it now but wasn’t bothered when his son went out without one. 🙄

If compulsion were brought in, what would be an appropriate penalty for non-compliance?

My own vote goes to public beheading, that’ll learn ’em not to protect their noggins!!

And it’s funny that he’s bothered about it now but wasn’t bothered when his son went out without one.

Probably not all that “funny” really… While I’m as cynical about the idea of helmet compulsion as anyone, I don’t think attacking the fella’s motives is exactly the right tactic, makes you look a bit insensitive, which only serves to diminish the strength of your argument TBH…

Just saying…

Nobody mentioned the 90% drop in teenage girls cycling when the compulsion law was introduced australia?

At the bottom of the original article:
“http://Wiggle.co.uk proves that not only are helmets essential for your safety, they really can be fashionable too.”

Which is a pretty bold statement by anyones measure.

Lets get the old graph out (from the same DfT report that they nicked their graph) that shows the KSI stats/Billion miles travelled

So with that are we going to argue for compulsory helmets for pedestrians too?

I’ll bow out now as i’ve already had this row on twitter 😀

I don’t know for sure, but I bet the same pros and cons were chucked about when it became compulsory for people to wear helemts on motorbikes, and maybe even seatbelts in cars. I dunno what to think, as both sides have merit – I guess, in an ideal world, everyone on a bike would be smart enough to wear a helmet, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. 🙁

makes you look a bit insensitive, which only serves to diminish the strength of your argument TBH…

OK, it comes across as insensitive but the analogy is this:

Your town has a problem with knife crime. Rather than solve the problem of people being stabbed (increased policing, harsher punishments etc), the answer is to campaign for compulsory stab vests for all…

??

Pondo,

Are you suggesting these people are all stupid?

I bet the same pros and cons were chucked about when it became compulsory for people to wear helemts on motorbikes, and maybe even seatbelts in cars

I’m sure they were.

The major difference is that if helmet/seatbelt compulsion ever put anyone off motorcycles or cars then that was a GOOD THING for overall health, whereas being put off cycling is a BAD THING for overall health.

Are you suggesting these people are all stupid?

it looks like there’s going to be a nasty accident and some of them will just wish they’d worn a helmet…

Are you suggesting these people are all stupid?

Yes.

Are you suggesting these people are all stupid?

The one on teh left cycling backwards is, that could cause a nasty incident.

The major difference is that if helmet/seatbelt compulsion ever put anyone off motorcycles or cars then that was a GOOD THING for overall health, whereas being put off cycling is a BAD THING for overall health.

That’s inarguable, really. In all fairnes, and this is entirely anecdotal, but I don’t see that many cyclists NOT wearing a helmet these days – how do we get the few that slip through the net to put one on?

haha, someone screen capped the original

No gloves, no lycra, no eVent fabric or Gore-tex, only one person wearing high viz.

Madness I tell you.

Another idiot much earlier:

I don’t see that many cyclists NOT wearing a helmet these days

I’d say it’s about 50/50 on my commute, which is mostly shared-use path and quietish roads.

From the blog:
In the early 90’s, Australia passed a law for compulsory helmets which saw cycling rates plummet, particularly in teenage girls who thought that helmets were not fashionable: in fact cycling rates in this group fell by around 90 per cent. But is this initial drop in cycling rates worth the risk to save hundreds of lives? I think so.

What an amazing thing to say. If only they could just bump that figure up to a 100% drop in cycling. Think of the lives that would be saved! 😆

The author has been adding explanation on his twitter feed;

https://twitter.com/timwiggins1