Should helmets stay compulsory?
Every so often, I turn into an old person and start yelling at my television. Last night was one of those nights.
3 News ran what I considered to be a flimsy story on bike helmets. There were no statistics to back up anything, just some guy saying that helmets should not be compulsory.
This in itself did not incense me. Apparently, this bloke has a medical exemption and doesn’t have to wear a helmet. Well, good luck to him. What caused the rage was his statement that he’d rather cycle in a fashion that avoids an accident than rely on a cycle helmet.
At this point, I may have started shouting and it may not have been anything terribly flattering to the man being interviewed. Now, maybe his quote was taken out of context, but it certainly riled me up.
Last time I checked, I don’t blithely cycle around with complete disregard for my own safety, or anyone else’s for that matter, relying on my helmet should an accident occur. C'est la vie, not to worry, I’m wearing a helmet.
And I certainly don’t think that New Zealand’s compulsory helmet legislation encourages cyclists to do this.
There are a number of websites (here's just one) that suggest that helmets are not necessarily all that effective when it comes to preventing head injuries. And still more sites suggesting that although they may be, the detrimental health effect caused by helmets discouraging casual cycling outweighs the odd head injury.
Except perhaps, to those who suffered the head injury.
But I wouldn’t get on a bike without a helmet, even for a so-called casual cycle. Sure, helmets are guaranteed to cause a bad hair day, but seriously, why would you run the risk? Hmm, bad hair outweighs some protection from head injury, however negligible. Really? Come on people.
Feel free to shoot me down in flames here, but that is my opinion. It’s not about abiding by the letter of the law, though naturally I feel avoiding a fine is a good thing. It’s about making what can be a dangerous sport slightly safer, even if the degree of extra safety it provides is negligible, as some of the number crunching suggests.
However, I am biased. I’ve cracked two helmets in the course of my cycling career after bouncing off the tarseal. Looking at the damage I’ve inflicted on those helmets, I’d much rather it was them than my head.
As a colleague observed, when I limped into work one day bleeding profusely after getting up close and personal with the road I’d be a sandwich short of a picnic had I not been wearing a helmet.
Hey, I could sing the gumboot song chorus, but replace the word gumboots with helmet. Oh no, now it’s stuck in my head. But once more, I digress from my point, so it must be time to throw open the floor for debate.
What do you think? Should NZ’s compulsory helmet laws be reconsidered? Would you wear a helmet if you didn’t have to?
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Picture: Southland Times
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I've been wearing a brain bucket (crash helmet) since the day I starting riding my bike on the road. I'd feel really strange if I wasn't wearing one.
To be honest though, I hadn't really recalled if the wearing of a helmet is compulsory or not by law. It is just something that I do, so I don't need to be "made" to do so.
I have destroyed a few helmets in my time. Personally i think that they should be compulsory as i have seen, as have you, the damage that can be done. But if somebody is silly enough to not wear a helmet, let them wear the expense of injury, dont give them acc, disability benefits etc, self inflicted should be self financed
Let the flame begin!
I agree with you, I think the helmet law should stay. I rode with a helmet when it wasn't required by the law, so would continue to ride with one if the current law was abolished.
It is a complete nonsense to say that because you ride cautiously you won't need a helmet. Would you not put your seatbelt on if you thought you were a cautious driver?
1987 & 2 friends witnessed a hit and run: Car vs bike, Cyclist dead head caved in no helmet. Both these friends have been wearing helmets ever since. I never wore a helmet until it was compulsory (thank you law) 10 years ago me on bike vs unlicensed driver: numerous injuries from smashing through car widow & flopping head 1st onto the ground, helmet split in two. Tell me naysayers you are vulnerable on a bike so bloody idiot comes to mind if you don't protect the obvious.!
No! Helmets most certainly should NOT be compulsory for cyclists.
The Harm Principle (John Stuart Mill) kicks in: We should be free to live our lives as we wish, subject to the caveat that we do not HARM other people.
The failure to wear a helmet harms no one. Cycle-helmet laws are nothing more than wanton nanny-state paternalism mixed in with yet another excuse for revenue collection.
*kicks nanny-state rule-worshipers in the nads*
Keep helmets compulsory - what is the point in not wearing them, leave a child parentless or a parent childless - neither option appeals to me - its a no brainer!
What an odd thing for someone to suggest. It must have been a really slow news day for TV3.
Anything that offers some degree of protection between you and the road is a good idea.
Unless you have an epic hairdo like Nandor Tanzcos (the strands of which are stronger than kevlar) you should be wearing a helmet while cycling.
It's similar to that nonsense that suggests that seatbelts in cars are dangerous and don't save you in the event of an accident.
I'm all for wearing good gear if you're travelling fast or in heavy traffic. My motorbike helmet saved my face last week when a guy turned into me without looking at 60 kph. I think the fellow in the article might have been referring to speeds/ locations when talking about "fashion of cycling". If you're mountain biking or flying along at 40-60kph on a carbon fibre race bike you should definately wear a helmet (and gloves). If you're trundling around quiet roads in a sleepy suburb on your cruiser/ bmx then it should be up to you.
I was in a cycling accident where a car pulled out in front of me and I went over the bonnet. I ended up with nasty graze to my cheek. The helmet was well bashed on top and a testament to my avoiding a serious head injury. Yes, cycling helmets should remain compulsory. They probably even give a bit of protection from the NZ sun.
In the UK, I used to wear a cycling helmet before they become compulsory.
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I started wearing a helmet before they became compulsory. Now I just don't feel comfortable not wearing one on the bike.
Like seatbelts in cars it should stay mandatory.