> > It's tempting to point to statistics that show a (slightly) > lower rate > > of injury amongst helmet wearers. But this is a self-selecting > > population; it's quite plausible that the sort of person > who elects to > > wear a helmet is less likely to engage in risky activities, > and thus > > would have a lower chance of an accident even without the helmet. > > The stats would probably be more meaningful from > jurisdictions such as mine where it's illegal to ride sans > helmet (though of course many do, one the spot fines are > regularly dispensed). >
The figures from Aus show that although the number of serious injuries declined, so did the number of miles cycled, so the rate of injury increased. The health of the whole population also declined because the people who didn't cycle but who would have done previously did not get the health gains of cycling. So society as a whole lost out by make helmet-wearing compulsory - mandatory helmets saved some people, but more people died because instead of cycling they were slumped in front of Neighbours with a tube of the amber nectar. There are various problems with the before & after stats which can be quite hotly contested, but similar results appear to found wherever the 'experiment' is carried out. Here are some stats for GB, where helmets are not compulsory and where helmet use has increased as the number of miles cycled has increased. <http://www.cyclehelmets.org/1071.html>. In London it seems there is safety in numbers, and that the more cyclists there are on the roads, the safer cycling becomes regardless of helmet use - although it is not at all unsafe compared with other activities. Most cycling deaths here are the result of left-turning lorries crushing the cyclist against the pavement barrier - something which helmets could not prevent. The answer to that one lies in cyclist and driver training, and the replacement of barriers with other means of keeping traffic off the pavement. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
