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copenhagencyclechic.com
Well, we all missed talking about helmet legislation, so it's a good thing that the Montreal Gazette printed this article. Here are some excerpts:
More than half of the population of Quebec say they are avid cyclists, but a Statistics Canada survey reveals that the majority of those do not wear helmets when on a bike.
Helmet use, according to the survey, was highest in Nova Scotia (66 per cent), the province with the strictest helmet law. Despite this, Suzanne Lareau, president of Velo-Quebec, said that number is proof that helmet laws are ineffective.
"It's startling that in provinces that hand out fines for not wearing helmets, we're not seeing 80 or 90 per cent of people wearing helmets. It seems like the laws are not working," she said.
Lareau said wearing a helmet is a personal choice and that fining those who don't wear a one might dissuade people from using an environmentally friendly method of transportation.
"We're not against wearing helmets but we are against a law," Lareau said. "We're against the idea of penalizing people for riding their bikes, for doing physical activity. These are people who are using a transportation method that's good for the environment, that's good for their health."
Patrick Morency, a public health specialist in Montreal's health and social services department, said that while helmets can help prevent injury, a more comprehensive road safety strategy is necessary to reduce the number of injured cyclists.
"What's killing cyclists in Montreal or seriously injuring them is vehicles -and the bigger the vehicle, the worse the injury," Morency said. "Generally, cyclists that are killed are either hit at a high speed or by a large vehicle - and in those cases a helmet might not help much."
Lareau said that better cooperation between cyclists and motorists is the key to preventing accidents.
"What does wearing a helmet actually do? It might reduce the chance of injury in case of an accident, but it doesn't prevent accidents," Lareau said. "We need to work on strategies to improve bike safety, like lowering speed limits in the city and sharing the road. That would be more effective than implementing a helmet law and then saying, 'My job is done.' "
Related:
Bike Helmet Laws -- stoopid
Not for the Faint of Heart: Helmetless cycling images
2 comments:
I don't recall reading as many stories related to helmets as I have this year.
Nearly all my helmet related posts have come from the past few weeks.
Planet Green had an interesting story on helmets yesterday: http://tinyurl.com/planetgreenhelmets
Then there was a study done three years ago in England about motorists giving less space to helmeted riders: http://tinyurl.com/na9mwj
I know for a fact this is true because even I gave it a try.
I wore a helmet on a busy street and people passed within inches at high speeds.
Without a helmet they would move over and slow down.
In my 7 or so years of commuting, I've only worn a helmet for about 2 or 3 weeks. Without a helmet, I've only ever had one issue with someone passing too close at high speeds.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks again for the feedback and the link.
Another post on mvb talks about a recent study that drew the same conclusion -- less space given to those wearing helmets.
I would say that I have experienced that, myself, as well.
Cheers!
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