[Closed] Compulsory Helmet Consultation

How Chris Boardman keeps going in the face of all this BS I do not know.

His mother was killed by a car while cycling not very long ago, I suspect this has given him a deep personal investment in the matter

It's motorists that are the problem. Doesn't matter what you wear, if they aren't looking properly, you are toast. I know too well, having suffered a badly broken spine and 4 ribs - my helmet didn't have a mark on it.

Lying on the floor I had to keep saying it was my back that hurt, not my neck or head.

Thing is though it's an an easy law to pass, there's very little to no chance of enforcement, so it'll just be lip service to satisfy the rabid frothers.

Doesn't make it right though.

Ok by me as long as cars are only available In statistically safe colours say yellow and black stripes
+ drivers are automatically monitored to see if they paying attention and any lapse of concentration is rectified by a built in taser

Normalisation of their use is preferable to legislation - although tbh arent we there?

I would say that where I ride 99.n% of people wear helmets. In fact I am the only person riding around without one. Not really sure a law is required here.

However, very few people wear clothing that you can see easily (with a fashion over last few years to wearing all black on the road) so the high viz clothing would be a much bigger impact to most people than helmets.

75% of the 1900 kids going to the high school near me go by bicycle. Very few of them wear helmets,(they also wear dark clothing) if they were made compulsory very few kids would ride bicycles.

We have so many kids getting around safely by bicycle because there is good infrastructure and low speed limits.

I wouldnt care tough tbh if it was put into law, it would be confirmation (as if it's needed) the country is run by simpletons and excuse enough for me to leave.

Wouldn't go anywhere without wearing a helmet ..although road riding is something that is only done to link up the next section of trail ..
Off-road my helmet has saved me from a nasty accident on numerous occasions..the worst one being when a wooden stake in the ground would have embedded itself into my temple had the helmet not been there.
I just don't get the anti-feeling towards them ..in my eyes it's a vital piece of safety equipment which if it saves even one person from any kind of injury ( never mind death ) ..is well worth wearing ...
Finally the folks who are floating around on bikes without a helmet actually deserve their next tumble to be a head related injury ..wonder if you would change your mind then ?

Finally the folks who are floating around on bikes without a helmet actually deserve their next tumble to be a head related injury

I assume you must be trolling.
Otherwise comments like that suggest that there isn't much in there to protect.

Why would you presume that you idiot ..are you saying that helmets don't protect your head ..and if you [i]are[/i] going to quote me ..dont take little sound bites out of what I have written ..keep it in context with the full statement ..fool !

Finally the folks who are floating around on bikes without a helmet actually deserve their next tumble to be a head related injury ..wonder if you would change your mind then ?

And let's hope your next tumble involves a lorry driving over you. Nice trolling.

You too ..another fool!

The trouble wih the internet is its given a voice to imbeciles like hodgynd.

Another idiot joins the list ..why do you think you are so right you dolt

I just don't get the anti-feeling towards them ..in my eyes it's a vital piece of safety equipment which if it saves even one person from any kind of injury ( never mind death ) ..is well worth wearing ..

Don't know about other people, but personally I'm not "anti helmet", indeed offroad especially I'm happier wearing one. My objection is to the compulsion suggestion and to the focus being placed on helmets and coloured jackets rather than focussing on the main dangers faced by utility cyclists.

hodgynd - Member
..in my eyes it's a vital piece of safety equipment which if it saves even one person from any kind of injury ( never mind death ) ..is well worth wearing ...

Wear one in your car then? Car occupants suffer a huge number of head injuries. If it saves even one person?

Ian ..on that point I fully agree with you ..and not once have I stated that they should be made compulsory ..indeed my whole point was based around the fact that in my own view they are a necessary piece of equipment to keep all riders safe ...
I'm not wishing injury on anyone ..quite the opposite in fact ..merely stating that IF the non wearers next tumble resulted in a head injury would they then wish that they had worn one?
As usual though lots of "precious" posters take offence at anything that doesn't conform to their own view ..

Irc ..am I supposed to take that question seriously ?
Car drivers travel a lot faster than cyclists ..statistically there are more of them and most I'm assuming would be the result of an interface with the windscreen at a high speed ..however it's not unknown ..formula one & rally drivers wear them ..

There is no evidence that they significantly improve safety but there is evidence that making them compulsory reduces the number people cycling and that makes cycling considerably less safe.

Which is why making them compulsory is so popular with people and organisations who want fewer people cycling.

You know all that though dont you? Its not like youre stupid or anything.

Whether you wear one or not is irrelevant btw.

Wilburt..could I please refer you to my answer to Ian two posts up the page ..
Not once in anything that I have written have I stated that they should be made compulsory..nor have I quoted any statistics as to how many injuries they help to stave off ..
What I have done is give [b][i]a personal opinion [/b][/i]on why I think they are a good idea.
As far as I'm aware I haven't jumped on anyone else's opinion as to why they think they are not.
Is it normal for you to call someone an imbecile just because they don't share your own view ?
Forums are supposed to be somewhere where you can express an opinion ..arent they ?

What I have done is give a personal opinion on why I think they are a good idea.

What you did was express the personal opinion that people who choose not to wear a helmet deserve to have a head injury. Which makes you sound a little bit disturbed. If you've expressed yourself badly, and didn't mean to say that, perhaps you should rephrase?

😆
You really are a prize pillock..
From everything I said you choose to pick holes in the fact that there was one misplaced word ..that being "deserve" ..and skim over everything that was said about safety / saving bad head injuries etc...
Maybe what I should have said is that in my opinion folks that don't wear them are an accident waiting to happen would that have appeased ?
If you weren't so quick to jump in and actually took the time to understand the gist of what I wrote you would perhaps understand that the point I was making was that I'm in favour of more riders wearing them to save them the possibility of any head injury occurring ..
It must be great living in your little world where you quite obviously make no mistakes at all ..but I will be watching 😉

I feel strongly against helmet compulsion. I wear one sometimes - but mainly when I'm mountainbikeing. But I much prefer touring without one. And I want to decide for myself when I wear one.

I would be surprised if they are made compulsory as it seems like a waste of time and energy to legislate for something that many people oppose, for which there is no strong supporting evidence and which would be so hard to enforce.

It would probably put pay to 'Boris' bikes type schemes too as nobody will bring a helmet with them and shared helmets would be a turn off.

Then there are the discussions about faith/ religious headgear....

I've been a Giro crash test dummy on three occasions, including one which lost me half an hour of my life. No I didn't hear the air ambulance landing next to me! The other two were OTB racing crashes, lostabout 15 minutes on those occasions. So I think I have done the practicals. Mine is black with fluoro hilights, so covered on both counts, in fact I often forget I'm wearing it as it's so comfortable, and really no big deal.

Still not in favour of compulsion though, as cycling is a normal low risk activity for most people, and I think about the times I might not have a helmet for an errand. Or on my trike, where I use a helmet mainly for a light mount!. But if it happens, the sky wouldn't fall in. It's not Brexit after all, is it?

If you weren't so quick to jump in and actually took the time to understand the gist of what I wrote you would perhaps understand that the point I was making was that I'm in favour of more riders wearing them to save them the possibility of any head injury occurring ..

I humbly apologise for reading what you wrote and thinking that was what you actually meant. 🙂

So what are we going to do about it?

Sarcasm ..the lowest form of wit ..to be honest I don't really care what you thought but you seem very quick to trade insults...and I'm only to happy to reciprocate..

Spanner ..childish ..

I don’t want to wear a crash helmet and hi viz to ride to the pub, I think I’ll drive instead. Warmer and no special clothes required.

hodgynd - I'd suggest you write more carefully, your tone and subsequent responses don't come across well. Neither does your first post. I'd also suggest you read up a bit more on both the effects of helmet compulsion and how much protection a bicycle helmet actually provides and the impacts/speeds they're designed for. I'll give you a hint - it's not very much.

Whatnobeer ..I would suggest that you keep your advice to yourself ..when I want it I will ask for it ..just so that you know I found THAT extremely rude..so maybe take heed of your own advice .
If you care to look I wasn't the one who started with the insults ..
As far as reading up on things I'm speaking from personal experience which I find more hands on than whatever numbers you wish to quote ..

Hodgynd, you literally just said that people who don't wear helmets deserve a head injury.
Whatever your side of the helmet debate, that's a bit much.
I don't wear a helmet on short commutes, do you wish me to get a head injury?

Sorry, I wasn't responding to anyone, I've not read the bickering.

Serious question.
How do we approach this?
Is it just a warning shot or are we about to be taught a lesson.

So what are we going to do to ensure our views are represented?

Fin25
I subsequently said that yes that was a mistake and would it have been better for me to say that riders who don't wear helmets are an accident waiting to happen ..
I would have thought that what I'd written previous to that when I mentioned that if wearing a helmet could save one injury never mind a death then they would be well worth wearing ..
I really don't understand the negativity ..the very fact that I'm advocating everyone wearing a helmet should make it fairly obvious that I don't want you or anyone else to sustain an injury ..[b]IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WEAR A HELMET THEN CARRY ON ..YOUR CHOICE..BUT PLEASE DON'T ASK ME NOT TO THINK THAT YOU ARE BEING FOOLISH ..MY OWN EXPERIENCE IS THAT YOU ARE [/b].
Sorry if that offends ..

How do we approach this?

I'm just going to carry on with my life, as any stupid laws they pass will be unpoliceable. It's annoying that people are idiots, but there's little I can do to reduce their number, there's ****ing millions of them.

There not going to be any new laws regarding helmets nor hi-viz.

This is a private members bill suggesting children under 12 should wear helmets.

That is all.

The papers have you stewing over, how can I say it.....FAKE NEWS..

[url= http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/the-times-leads-with-false-story-about-helmet-compulsion/022270 ]Bikebiz [/url]

So what are we going to do to ensure our views are represented?

Sadly, it seems that way to me too.

Rusty spanner ..
Apologies I misunderstood ..

No worries matey.
🙂

So it's fine, they will base it on evidence.. let's hope that evidence isn't some kind of opinion poll or referendum. LOL

Oh dear, were you one of the 'we've had enough of experts' bunch? Your first hand experience is exactly that, and I don't dismiss it, but unless you've written papers or studied the issue professionally, it's just anecdotal. While anecdotes aren't necessarily useless, they miss they often miss the bigger picture and are often misleading.

Whatnobeer ..
I'm not dismissing anything ..what is it that you are missing from what I've written ?
Please quote anything that I have said with regard to making helmet wearing compulsory ..
All that I have said ..and again it's a personal opinion ..I think wearing a helmet is a good idea..
I get that you want me to look at facts and figures ..but can I throw that back to you ..has there ever been an instance where actually wearing a helmet has saved someone's life ?
Surely the answer to that has to be yes ?
Can you be 100% certain that at some point in your life you won't need the benefit of one while riding your bike ..if you can answer yes to that then I take my helmet off to you as your expertise and psychic skill is indeed a wonder to behold.
I sincerely hope that my tone was to your liking ..and that you stay safe while riding ..

Hi Hodgynd

I agree with you, it is a good idea. Personally if one of my mates turned up to go MTBing without a lid that would surprise me and make me feel uncomfortable. Their choice though.

I don't agree with what you said about not wearing one being an "accident waiting to happen" though. That implies it's reckless or stupid not to wear one and that's simply not true, at least not in all circumstances.

Sometimes it's impractical or unrealistic to wear a lid. Take people cycle-commuting in London as an example. The success of the Boris bike scheme would never have been possible with a compulsory helmet law. And helmets aren't really an appropriate mitigatant for the main risks to that type of cycling anyway. The helmet debate puts the focus onto the vulnerable group and distracts from where that focus should be which is properly holding drivers to account for their actions.

For me cycling is a personal choice and so is wearing a helmet. I'd like to think most adults are capable of carrying out their own risk analysis for whatever cycling they are doing at the time. A mandatory helmet law would be a disaster for our cities generally an a horrible backward step.

Thanks for your reasoned reply ..Im not going to disagree with anything you have said ..
Appreciated .

[quote=hodgynd ]it's a personal opinion

So if it's got no evidence behind it, what did it add to the thread?

Can you be 100% certain that at some point in your life you won't need the benefit of one while riding your bike

Can you be 100% certain that at some point in your life you won't need the benefit of one while driving your car?

and yes, that is a serious point - if such attitudes apply to riding a bike, then why don't they apply to driving?