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After that point, I decided to observe on my daily commute who the worst bike handlers/rulebreakers are and guess what? They're the helmeted riders. The helmetless riders seem more confident in their skills and don't go on kamikaze missions through every red light.
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Bicycle culture in America is different than in educated and civilized countries.
I agree with everything you say here, 100%.
There are two ways to use your head when you ride ~ The "serious" NASCAR bike-training ride/Poweranger arrogantocracy are generally going to be the past and future "saved by my helmet" advocates
My views on this whole topic started to change when I was in DC. My wife & I checked out bikes from the bike share station and it's not like we carry helmets every time we travel, so we proceed to ride down Pennsylvania Avenue helmetless. We're having a great time, going at a leisurely pace when some lady (wearing a helmet) on a bike buzzes us without an "on your left" warning. Up ahead, she almost wipes out when she gets all wobbly doing a head check before going around a couple right turning cars. No taking the lane hand signal of course. So at this point I'm determined to catch up with her to let her know she's riding like an idiot. Her response? "You're not wearing a helmet."
After that point, I decided to observe on my daily commute who the worst bike handlers/rulebreakers are and guess what? They're the helmeted riders. The helmetless riders seem more confident in their skills and don't go on kamikaze missions through every red light. Of course, this isn't scientific data and there are exceptions (like the helmetless old guys and teenagers who ride illegally on the sidewalk).
Basically, all of this focus on helmets is pretty much focusing on the symptom rather than the disease. I don't want to have to wear body armor just to hop on a bike. I'd gladly make a deal requiring cyclists to be licensed after a rules of the road/bike handling course in exchange for harsher penalties, or assumption of guilt, for drivers who hit cyclists.
I too am amazed at the habits of Urban Cyclists. But to lump all helmeted cyclist in with the behavior of a portion of a subset is irrational. I'm helmeted and I am very confident in my bike handling skills. I credit this to doing some single track mountain biking. I also get a lot of wave throughs at stop signs in my suburban travels up to the more exurban roads north of here. I think the cars are appreciative that I actuall stop and wait my turn. I think cars want you to be predictable, let them know when and where you are turning and not blow through lights/stops/yields when it is your responsibility to stop or yield.
The helmet debate has been discussed and I think the horse is dead. My bigger question, is how to reach the "kamikazee" cyclists and teach them to ride properly and how to reach the "kamikazee" motorist and teach them to drive more safely? Ironically, seems both are cut from the same cloth.
Bicycle culture in America is different than in educated and civilized countries.
I agree with everything you say here, 100%.
There are two ways to use your head when you ride ~ The "serious" NASCAR bike-training ride/Poweranger arrogantocracy are generally going to be the past and future "saved by my helmet" advocates
OK, I'll "take the bait". What "educated and civilized" countries are you specifically referring to?
ITs amazing some bike advocates can be so informationally challenged. Simply put-- the same ideology that determines car drivers in the USA dont require helmets, determines bike riders in educated and forward thinking countries don't require them.
ITs amazing some bike advocates can be so informationally challenged. Simply put-- the same ideology that determines car drivers in the USA dont require helmets, determines bike riders in educated and forward thinking countries don't require them.
The big difference is that those countries have the cycling culture embedded in the fabric of society. For them cycling is a mundane activity that almost everyone engages in.
In the states this isn't the case. The US is a car-centric country.
In that aspect we are decades behind these highly evolved societies, but I do see a turning trend. Gridlocks, mass transportation shut downs (recently here in NYC), soaring gas prices, and the rise of health-conscious people will make cycling more attractive than ever in the US.
One day we'll be as evolved as those northern European countries. I'm very hopeful about it.
ITs amazing some bike advocates can be so informationally challenged. Simply put-- the same ideology that determines car drivers in the USA dont require helmets, determines bike riders in educated and forward thinking countries don't require them.
I've said this before ... and I will say it again.
In Dutch countries such as The Netherlands ... the driver of a car is assumed to be at fault when colliding with a bike.
"Strict liability", supported in law in the Netherlands,[2] leads to driver's insurance being deemed to be responsible in a collision between a car and a cyclist. Dutch drivers are trained for the interaction with cyclists, for example by checking and re-checking their right-hand side before making a turn to the right.
So in Dutch countries, drivers are a lot more cautious around bicyclists, because drivers don't want to be held liable for causing an accident.
Bicyclists in Dutch countries are not as concerned about getting into accidents with cars, since they know drivers are constantly looking out for them.
Unfortunately, our law doesn't work that way here in the U.S., so helmet use is more important here.
ITs amazing some bike advocates can be so informationally challenged. Simply put-- the same ideology that determines car drivers in the USA dont require helmets, determines bike riders in educated and forward thinking countries don't require them.
Helmets in vehicle compared to helmets on a bicycle is like comparing an apple to an aardvark
There are a much larger # of cyclists in the "educated and forward looking countries". Critical mass makes for a safer cycling environment. Many motorists are also cyclists, so they are not driving like asshats endangering cyclists. Liability laws are different. The "roadies" I saw in France last year wear helmets also.
Your logic that it's stupid to wear a helmet while cycling is very illogical. The helmet does not impede my ability to cycle safely. It is relatively inexpensive. While it does NOT provide an injury prevention guarantee, it certainly can help reduce or prevent head injuries if one falls and hits their head.
Your logic that it's stupid to wear a helmet while cycling is very illogical. The helmet does not impede my ability to cycle safely. It is relatively inexpensive. While it does NOT provide an injury prevention guarantee, it certainly can help reduce or prevent head injuries if one falls and hits their head.
To continue this conversation with me, can you provide me with a post where I said wearing a helmet was "stupid"? Your interpretation of my posts is so far off Im not even sure if you are responding to the correct individual.
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. The helmet does not impede my ability to cycle safely. It is relatively inexpensive. While it does NOT provide an injury prevention guarantee, it certainly can help reduce or prevent head injuries if one falls and hits their head.
