Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Let me ask you this:
What do you think the public reaction would be if the Canadian College of Physicians recommended all motorists and passengers wear helmets whenever they traveled by car? And if the provincial government introduced a bill to make helmets mandatory for everyone under 18 in a car? How many people do you think would be onboard with that trade-off of convenience and comfort for safety?
And frankly, it's a lot less of a hassle for motorists to wear helmets because you can just leave a helmet in a car rather than need to carry it around with you everywhere. That's the other big hassle with helmets: carrying them everywhere when you're not on your bike.
In Canada, we consider cycling an activity. We put on helmets, special clothes, and say we're going for a bike ride. When we get in our car to go to Starbucks to get a coffee, or to the drug store to get some Advil, we don't say we're going for a car ride. We say we're going to Starbucks, or to the drug store.
Cycling will grow when it's no longer considered an activity, when it's simply a common means of transportation. And when you use cycling as a common means of transportation, you end up places with other people. And now you have a helmet in your hand. You have a helmet in your hand at the mall, you have a helmet in your hand watching a movie, you have a helmet on the table at Earl's. And yes, people, especially women, are not going to want to go out to the mall, or to a movie, or to Earls, with a helmet in their hand and their hair messed up.
There's a reason that the only major city where a bike share a program has flopped is Melbourne, Australia, which has a helmet law. The idea of bike share programs (and widespread urban cycling in general), is that people can on the spur of the moment and as a convenience hop on a bike to ride 4 of 6 or 10 blocks to meet with friends. That's just not going to happen if every potential rider has to carry a helmet with them 24/7.
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Please note that the paper you post for reducing bike riding with mandatory helmets is about youth and states the following
"The results above show that state laws adopted over past two decades that require youths to wear helmets when riding a bicycle reduced youth bicycling fatalities by about 19 percent, increased helmet use by 20-34 percent, and (unintentionally) reduced bicycling by 4-5 percent."
So there is a slight reduction in youth biking. The discussion states that the youth are more likely to skate board or inline skate instead of biking so the physical activity is there, so the exercise and heart problem excuse is gone. Nothing about adults changing habits either.
so 4-5% less biker because it is uncool and they probably change there mind when older, and it a 19% less youth fatalities. fair trade.