(September 23, 2010 at 12:31 am)padraic Wrote: Heard this on local radio today:
Australia is the only country in which wearing a bicycle helmet is mandatory.
The law was introduced over a decade ago. It is claimed that today the gender ratio is skewed as a result. Only 25% of bicycle riders are now female.
MY view; I do not have enough information to make a meaningful assessment. I have yet to see any evidence that proves conclusively such helmets save lives or even significantly reduces serious injury.
A cynical person might say such a law is a political exercise in tokenism. The most obvious way to make bicycle riding both safe and more attractive is to build the infrastructure needed. Eg such as Copenhagen, which has over 400 kilometres of dedicated bike paths..
I was knocked off my bike by a motocyclist last year, flying a good six feet through the air landing head first on the ground the other side of the car I was next too. Without the helmet my wife wouldve been widowed.
You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.
Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.
