If caring about users of streets makes me a loon, I’m in rare company. Besmirching someone’s reputation to obscure truth is called the straw man fallacy. So what does that make Bill Lewis: an underhanded industry plant who can be accused of libel? That’s an easy reputation to uphold, but it might cost you in the long run.

I try not to use statistics when I make my points and I don’t have to use WIKI or Google as I have been reading this stuff for three years now.
If you get a sense of security from a helmet then wear it but don’t inflate the real protection given by one.
Do the research and you will see for yourselves. The most important thing is numbers. We must prove bike riding is an easy and inexpensive way to get around, and not this dangerous sport that requires hundreds of dollars in special gear.

There is a bit of a Darwinian effect in cycling, isn’t there.

And, yes, both cyclists and drivers need to be educated. More on that in a bit…

If you look into the standardized testing for bicycle helmet you might find that the standard protection is from a 5 foot fall. That amounts to me falling over when I pull up to a stop sign. If you feel better wearing a helmet then do it.

There are 3 kinds of lies:
1. Standard lies
2. Bald faced lies
3. Statistics

Citing things like “95% who die are not wearing helmets”, says very little to what caused the death. The 4 Driver vs Cyclist collisions that I’ve been involved in in Providence have not killed me. Two caused significant injury (shoulder and wrist) but when I’m in a contest with a 2 ton hunk of metal I don’t have faith that a helmet will save my life. Preparation has.

And I do see helmeted cyclists. about 50% that I see downtown are not wearing the helmet correctly, increasing their risk of injury. Many of these helmeted riders are riding against traffic. I ride at night and see very few bicyclists with lights. So when people cite helmet safety in a conversation of cycling safety, along with the statistics, I’m disappointed.

Education might go a lot further toward saving lives than handing someone a helmet. Education for the Cyclist and Driver.

The only times I’ve gone over the bars were in accidents with a car first time I was hit from behind and landed in grass on the side of Rt.114 in Middletown when I was 14. I went over the bars when a woman ran a red light, I slid over the hood I bumped my knee and elbow both times never hit my head. I guess I know better than to grab a handfull of front brake.

The studies done after Australia enacted a manditory helmet law saw ridership decline thirty to forty percent while there was not a corespondant decline in head injuries. There is also research from Vancouver Canada show similar result from their MHL. I think that getting people to ride with caution and following the rules of the road are better than making a big deal about an infinitly small chance ofdeath by head trauma when it’s the vehicle that crushes your body.
My goal is to show that we can use a bike just like everyone else in the non-english speaking world does. Without the hysteria and elitism of helmet nazis. The more of us there are, the more drivers are used to bikes. Drivers actually give non helmeted riders more space when passing, look it up captain WIKI.

“helmets can not protect you in any but dead stop falls like at a stop sign in cleats. There is also a risk of rotational injury to the spinal column due to the helmet dragging on the pavement.” Specious twaddle. You’ve never done an endo. You’ve never seen any fatal accidents. I have.

“Wherever a manditory helmet law has been enacted cycling numbers decline.” So, you prioritize getting people to ride over them doing it safely? Neither is as important as keeping motorists from murdering innocents, which pales compared to spending trillions annually on criminal warfare worldwide.

“Millions of people ride millions of miles every day all over the world without a piece of foam strapped to their heads and don’t die.” A billion people ride bicycles. It is the most popular form of transportation except walking. About 5,000 Americans die walking every year. Only about 700 bicyclists die. 41,000 motorists died last year in US, more than all bicyclists in 150 years. The worst part of motoring is the cancer and heart disease it directly causes, about 2 million/year. This carnage continues unabated. Nobody cares.

“have never hit my head once.” Lucky you. I know dozens of people who have. It is very common, although hands and knees usually hit first. A blow to the back of head may blind or kill you.

“No protection in a collision with a motor vehicle.” Almost all fatalities on bikes are in collisions with motor vehicles including all those 95% who die not wearing a helmet. Presumably, if they joined the rest who did, they might still be alive. Also, because riders sit higher than drivers, they might be hit in back of head by mirrors. And gutter runners are at risk of running into signs positioned for motorists.

“brain hits the inside of the skull, … keep you from a scalp wound or a bump on the noggin.” Not true. Helmet foam is an effective crumple zone. They work.

” bikeforums.net” Please consult something forensic, i. e., The Only Good Bicyclist”, http://www.transalt.org/files/newsroom/magazine/003Summer/goodcyclist.html
which shows, albeit a small sample, that motorists and poor urban planning are to blame in nearly 100% of incidents. Bicyclist opinions, as demonstrated by this website, are ignored and useless. Why bother?

“peception of cycling as being a dangerous activity”… It’s the safest form of travel statistically, 3 sigma. No, what society needs to do is further restrict abusive motoring, which puts everyone – motorists and pedicyclists alike – at risk, and futile, wasteful spending, nearly a trillion/year, on motorways that has bankrupted country. Instead judges routinely let multiple DUI offenders off with warnings, or SUV criminals who actually kill cyclists off without even a hearing. According to existing policies, MOTORS RULE: everyone who gets in their way are dog meat.

On the other hand, the fewer the drivers, the worse the remainder drive. Studies overseas show that getting rid of traffic controls actually improves the way motorists react in the presence of pedicyclists. When in doubt, they slow down. At issue is mainly congested areas, although 4 out of 5 traffic accidents do occur on rural roads. Again speed and substance abuse account for 75% or more of accidents. Bicyclist inattention is such a small percentage as to be negligible.

Great comments here!

I agree with what you say about the need to promote cycling as safe and healthy. That’s why in our Cycle-for-Health classes we don’t dwell on the accidents that can happen…because bad things can happen anywhere and at any time.

Truth is – obesity from inactivity kills far more Americans than bicycle accidents do…and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association says that over 62 million Americans ride a bike at least 9x per year.

Perhaps all X-boxes should be mounted on moving treadmills. Just think of the safety equipment you could mandate for that!