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I don't buy the idea that requiring helmets truly reduces the number of riders long term. The kind of person who would not ride their bike because they don't wa

by ebbv 11y ago

I don't buy the idea that requiring helmets truly reduces the number of riders long term. The kind of person who would not ride their bike because they don't want to wear a helmet is the kind of person who was only going to die for a couple of months anyway. Every dedicated rider I know wears a helmet, required or not.

carlob 11y ago
Take a trip to any large city with a bike sharing program (say Paris or NYC) and you'll thousands of people renting a bike for a short ride, maybe just because they've missed the bus. As far as I know bicycle fatalities in Paris have gone down since the program was introduced even if the number of bikes on the road has increased by an order of magnitude. Also you might not buy it, but the data is out there… 30% fewer cyclists in NZ and Australia http://www.fubicy.org/spip.php?article191 http://www.fubicy.org/spip.php?article191
Piskvorrr 11y ago
Aye, there's the rub. I would not call myself a bicyclist, and certainly not a dedicated one. I just ride bikes when it's convenient: there's a pretty good public transport network around my city, you can walk short distances, and car traffic is also reasonable; biking supplements these three options very nicely, esp. now that there's a bike-sharing thing in the city (unlock a bike via an app, ride it wherever, lock it via the app again, minimal fuss). Lugging a helmet around, just in case I should decide to use a bike, is rather inconvenient (I tried). If there were a mandatory helmet law, it would certainly increase the gap between "casual rider" and "dedicated bicyclist," driving out people like me. (OTOH, if I'm on a bike trip, I do have my helmet, as I usually go beyond paved streets, longer distances and probably higher speeds. Different tools for different purposes.) TL;DR: assuming "bicycling requires dedication" reduces ridership by definition.
biehl 11y ago
What kind of riders are you thinking of? In Copenhagen, where everyone rides bikes (young, old, hipster, business guy, dad, child - not only "dedicated riders"), there are plenty who would bike less by simply dropping some bike rides if they choice was between bike+helmet and eg. walking, bussing or cardriving.
mbrock 11y ago
Urban commuters and casual bikers in Holland who wear helmets: approximately 0. I don't know what would happen if they made helmets mandatory, but subjectively, needing to put on safety equipment to go to the supermarket three blocks away, or to the pub, is a significant difference in convenience and ease. Mostly because you need to keep the helmet somewhere. In Holland this would likely mean a table for six at the pub has five helmets on or near it. Might be a small problem in the grand scale but it would be annoying.
- sevensor 11y ago
  The Dutch are able to dispense with helmets only because they have pervasive, well-maintained bicycle infrastructure and flat terrain. I'm on the fence about helmet laws in the U.S., but given our road conditions I think everyone should choose to wear one.
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    And because drivers here are on the hook in any accident involving a bike short of someone throwing themselves under your car.
    - sevensor 11y ago
      Yes, drivers here can quite literally get away with murder.
  - mbrock 11y ago
    Sure. I think conditions vary from city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood even. That's why I don't support helmet laws. They impose inconvenience and reduce personal freedom. Holland happens to be entirely flat and suited for safe biking, so it's a good example for why helmet laws are not universally a good idea.

by ebbv 11y ago

carlob 11y ago

Take a trip to any large city with a bike sharing program (say Paris or NYC) and you'll thousands of people renting a bike for a short ride, maybe just because they've missed the bus. As far as I know bicycle fatalities in Paris have gone down since the program was introduced even if the number of bikes on the road has increased by an order of magnitude. Also you might not buy it, but the data is out there… 30% fewer cyclists in NZ and Australia http://www.fubicy.org/spip.php?article191 http://www.fubicy.org/spip.php?article191

Piskvorrr 11y ago

Aye, there's the rub. I would not call myself a bicyclist, and certainly not a dedicated one. I just ride bikes when it's convenient: there's a pretty good public transport network around my city, you can walk short distances, and car traffic is also reasonable; biking supplements these three options very nicely, esp. now that there's a bike-sharing thing in the city (unlock a bike via an app, ride it wherever, lock it via the app again, minimal fuss). Lugging a helmet around, just in case I should decide to use a bike, is rather inconvenient (I tried). If there were a mandatory helmet law, it would certainly increase the gap between "casual rider" and "dedicated bicyclist," driving out people like me. (OTOH, if I'm on a bike trip, I do have my helmet, as I usually go beyond paved streets, longer distances and probably higher speeds. Different tools for different purposes.) TL;DR: assuming "bicycling requires dedication" reduces ridership by definition.

biehl 11y ago

What kind of riders are you thinking of? In Copenhagen, where everyone rides bikes (young, old, hipster, business guy, dad, child - not only "dedicated riders"), there are plenty who would bike less by simply dropping some bike rides if they choice was between bike+helmet and eg. walking, bussing or cardriving.

mbrock 11y ago

Urban commuters and casual bikers in Holland who wear helmets: approximately 0. I don't know what would happen if they made helmets mandatory, but subjectively, needing to put on safety equipment to go to the supermarket three blocks away, or to the pub, is a significant difference in convenience and ease. Mostly because you need to keep the helmet somewhere. In Holland this would likely mean a table for six at the pub has five helmets on or near it. Might be a small problem in the grand scale but it would be annoying.

sevensor 11y ago
The Dutch are able to dispense with helmets only because they have pervasive, well-maintained bicycle infrastructure and flat terrain. I'm on the fence about helmet laws in the U.S., but given our road conditions I think everyone should choose to wear one.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  And because drivers here are on the hook in any accident involving a bike short of someone throwing themselves under your car.
  - sevensor 11y ago
    Yes, drivers here can quite literally get away with murder.
- mbrock 11y ago
  Sure. I think conditions vary from city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood even. That's why I don't support helmet laws. They impose inconvenience and reduce personal freedom. Holland happens to be entirely flat and suited for safe biking, so it's a good example for why helmet laws are not universally a good idea.