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One argument I've seen against the use of bike helmets is that people naturally gravitate to a certain risk level. Thus helmet wearing, it is argued, leads dire
by MarkusWandel 4y ago
One argument I've seen against the use of bike helmets is that people naturally gravitate to a certain risk level. Thus helmet wearing, it is argued, leads directly to a slightly more risk-taking style of cycling which cancels out the safety benefit of the helmet.
Agree with that or not (I personally argue that my head is disproportionately in need of protection compared to other body parts - I had a crash that broke the helmet into three pieces and broke my collarbone - but no harm done to my head) - but the same could be said about masks. I've seen many ineffective masks - simple cloth, worn with big gaps around the nose, even ski masks at the ski hill that have a vent for the nose. But now that we're masked, we're doing our thing, we can relax, right? So the usual mob scene at Costco with not even token attempts to keep distance. Would absence of masks cause people to be more cautious?
- sjg007 4y ago>One argument I've seen against the use of bike helmets is that people naturally gravitate to a certain risk level. Thus helmet wearing, it is argued, leads directly to a slightly more risk-taking style of cycling which cancels out the safety benefit of the helmet. This is a nonsensical argument. Do you drive your car 100mph because you have airbags and a seatbelt? If you wore a helmet in the car would you do so? Masks do not encourage riskier behavior either. It makes current behavior safer that's all.
- n4r9 4y agoIf I _didn't_ have airbags or a seatbelt I wouldn't even go over 30mph.
- drugstorecowboy 4y agoYou are certainly in the minority though, given that millions of people drove much faster than 30mph daily for many many years with neither. Seatbelts weren't even required in cars in the US until 1968, airbags in the 90's. Anecdotally, neither I nor anyone I know thinks this way, the availability of a seatbelt or airbag isn't the determining factor in my driving speed by any measure.