Comments on: Samohi Aims for Car Free Campus http://www.santamonicadispatch.com/2009/10/samohi-aims-for-car-free-campus/ Just another WordPress weblog Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:30:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Alison Kendall http://www.santamonicadispatch.com/2009/10/samohi-aims-for-car-free-campus/comment-page-1/#comment-3508 Alison Kendall Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:20:55 +0000 http://www.santamonicadispatch.com/?p=1392#comment-3508 I read the study cited, which includes reputable studies showing over 65 percent reduction in severity of head injury with helmet use. I therefore believe any responsible parent or serious cyclist would want to use a helmet whenever possible due to its effectiveness in reducing bicycle accident head injuries. In my experience, young people under 13 will largely wear a helmet, if told that helmet use is the law (in california required by cyclists under 18 years of age). Teen agers are more problematic, as disregarding adult safety advice seems part of growing up. Nonetheless I think the helmet law helps students who want to wear helmets do so without facing peer pressure to not do so. Interestingly, the fact that my son was wearing a helmet and riding a bike properly equipped with lights and reflector helped to convince the insurance company that he was not partly at fault in a recent accident. I read the study cited, which includes reputable studies showing over 65 percent reduction in severity of head injury with helmet use. I therefore believe any responsible parent or serious cyclist would want to use a helmet whenever possible due to its effectiveness in reducing bicycle accident head injuries. In my experience, young people under 13 will largely wear a helmet, if told that helmet use is the law (in california required by cyclists under 18 years of age). Teen agers are more problematic, as disregarding adult safety advice seems part of growing up. Nonetheless I think the helmet law helps students who want to wear helmets do so without facing peer pressure to not do so. Interestingly, the fact that my son was wearing a helmet and riding a bike properly equipped with lights and reflector helped to convince the insurance company that he was not partly at fault in a recent accident.

]]> By: Richard Keatinge http://www.santamonicadispatch.com/2009/10/samohi-aims-for-car-free-campus/comment-page-1/#comment-3416 Richard Keatinge Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:55:36 +0000 http://www.santamonicadispatch.com/?p=1392#comment-3416 A car-free campus is a wonderful idea, but it's no good having a campaign that takes aim at its own foot. The promotion of cycle helmets is just one more way in which a fear of cycling is constructed, see Dave Horton at http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/09/fear-of-cycling-03-helmet-promotion.html. Helmet propaganda relies on overemphasizing the very small dangers of cycling and seldom seems to emphasize its large benefits. At my moderately advanced age it's far too dangerous not to cycle - regular cycling, Danish style, not too far, not too fast, nearly halves the death rate, see http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/11/1621. Helmet laws have stopped a lot of people cycling and have done nothing for head injury rates, see Robinson DL. No clear evidence from countries that have enforced the wearing of helmets. BMJ. 2006 March 25; 332(7543): 722–725. doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7543.722-a. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16565131 (Robinson's work uses the best scientific methods, all available control groups and so on.) Cycling is good for health, but bike helmets don't seem to be. On your bike, and don't sweat the helmet! A car-free campus is a wonderful idea, but it’s no good having a campaign that takes aim at its own foot. The promotion of cycle helmets is just one more way in which a fear of cycling is constructed, see Dave Horton at http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/09/fear-of-cycling-03-helmet-promotion.html.

Helmet propaganda relies on overemphasizing the very small dangers of cycling and seldom seems to emphasize its large benefits. At my moderately advanced age it’s far too dangerous not to cycle – regular cycling, Danish style, not too far, not too fast, nearly halves the death rate, see http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/11/1621. Helmet laws have stopped a lot of people cycling and have done nothing for head injury rates, see Robinson DL. No clear evidence from countries that have enforced the wearing of helmets. BMJ. 2006 March 25; 332(7543): 722–725. doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7543.722-a. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16565131 (Robinson’s work uses the best scientific methods, all available control groups and so on.) Cycling is good for health, but bike helmets don’t seem to be. On your bike, and don’t sweat the helmet!

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