The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[ufkacbln]

I despair again, again and again

Cut and paste from a regional newspaper........
The Year 11 pupil, from Brookfield School, was lucky to walk away with just bruises. He was not wearing a helmet.
His school has since issued a warning to all cyclists to wear helmets
‘We’ve always placed an emphasis on our pupils being safe and wearing helmets and we’re using this incident to reinforce that. It’s something we’re very rigid about.’
The school has sent out safety information to all its parents and is doing nightly checks at the school gates.

It was a few years ago now, but IIRC there was a successful appeal against such a "rule" by a parent it goes back to the "CyclingToday" era

A request for the risk assessment was unforthcoming

When it eventually arrived, a request was made for the number of head injuries occurring at the school

This showed the playground and playing fields to be the two main areas for head injury

A question was raised as to why helmets were not being worn, and again a copy of the risk assessment for these activities was not forthcoming

The result was that the child was allowed to cycle to school sans helmet,but had to wear one when walking on the school premises with the bike

 

[Profpointy]

Sorry but I disagree. Cycling on public highways isn't dangerous. If it was dangerous, I wouldn't do it every day. Yes there are risks but those risks can be mitigated as shown by the fact I don't get knocked off and injured on a daily basis.

Rather than get tied up in semantics I would suggest that danger = a risk that cannot be mitigated against happening, only against the consequences.

However there is absolutely nothing to suggest that a helmet would help to mitigate those risks or to serve much of a purpose should the risk become a reality.

It was a few years ago now, but IIRC there was a successful appeal against such a "rule" by a parent it goes back to the "CyclingToday" era

A request for the risk assessment was unforthcoming

When it eventually arrived, a request was made for the number of head injuries occurring at the school

This showed the playground and playing fields to be the two main areas for head injury

A question was raised as to why helmets were not being worn, and again a copy of the risk assessment for these activities was not forthcoming

The result was that the child was allowed to cycle to school sans helmet,but had to wear one when walking on the school premises with the bike

complying with the last one allows a brillian bit of defiance. Obeying makes the rule and the authorities look stupid, yet the protest is actually complying

 

[benb]

That is precisely what most/all schools do have to do as they are not empowered to do anything more with regards to parents/guardians/drivers etc, but they CAN enforce behaviour restrictions on the pupils.
I probably omitted one word from my previous post: "The school have no powers to deal directly with the behaviour..."

Yes they can, they can engage directly with the parents who don't play nice on the parking front. They may not have any direct legal powers about the parking but I am sure that, should they put their minds to it, they could influence behaviour.

If they can ban a child from cycling to school for her own safety, why can't they ban children from being driven to school for their own safety?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

If they can ban a child from cycling to school for her own safety, why can't they ban children from being driven to school for their own safety?

It's simple: just another case of the double standard, in which 4 wheels is good, 2 wheels is bad.

 

[mjr]

There's many more points of view but those above seem to crop up more frequently

Can you illustrate that? I feel those look like Aunt Sally or strawmen arguments, rather than the most frequent. Also, few of my reasons for wearing (when I did) or not wearing (now) are there, except for the one you say is closest to your views (that helmets only for cycling make cycling look more dangerous than it is).

 

[MontyVeda]

Can you illustrate that?
...

Can you? I posted my take on it based on the lines of discussion i feel crop up more often than not. If you have a differing view then go for it

 

[mjr]

OK, this just came up elsewhere but would be better here. How many of the helmet-wearing minority actually wear their helmets fully in compliance with the manual?

To summarise http://media.bontrager.com/owners_manuals/helmets/Bontrager_Helmets_EN.pdf that means:

• Adjustment checked before every ride - it should not move forwards enough to be visible or backwards enough to expose the forehead - this means no dangling chin straps!
• Not exposed to hot sunny days
• Kept away from chemicals: no petroleum products, cleaning agents, paints, adhesives and the like
• Replaced after every impact or after three years
• Used only for what it is designed and intended for - so no recreational helmet used for off-road or high-speed riding
• No cap, scarf, high-volume hairstyle, Barrettes, headphones, or anything else
  under your helmet
• No attachments should be made to the helmet except those recommended by the helmet manufacturer. This includes stickers or adhesive labels.
• Not worn during other activities
• Kept clean with a solution of mild soap and water.
• No sticks, stones, or insects hit with the ventilation holes

When I wore a helmet, I certainly failed several of those. I had read the manual but didn't reread it often enough to remember all the counter-intuitive instructions, so I expect if I had been head-injured in a collision, the manufacturer would have claimed I was negligent and had disobeyed some instructions so it wasn't their fault. Which brings me to another thing: has any modern EN1078 helmet manufacturer been held liable for a failure of their product in a collision?

 

[Mugshot]

Not exposed to hot sunny days

That's not quite what it says though is it?

 

[MontyVeda]

... How many of the helmet-wearing minority actually wear their helmets fully in compliance with the manual?

...

To me, that point falls into 'If you do wear a helmet, you're ignorant' ...ignorant of the user manual, ignorant of its design limitations and ignorant of how it should be cared for.

 

[mjr]

That's not quite what it says though is it?

No, but I've been quite clear that I was summarising rather than reposting two full pages of legalese and I've linked the original if anyone wants to see it. I apologise if I've misunderstood any of them.

 

[mjr]

To me, that point falls into 'If you do wear a helmet, you're ignorant'

It's a question, not a point!

 

[MontyVeda]

It's a question, not a point!

It's a loaded question which boils down to presumed ignorance of the wearer.

 

[Mugshot]

No, but I've been quite clear that I was summarising rather than reposting two full pages of legalese and I've linked the original if anyone wants to see it. I apologise if I've misunderstood any of them.

Oh I know, and you have no need to apologise for misunderstanding any of them, you may want to apologise for being a little bit naughty though

 

[mjr]

Oh I know, and you have no need to apologise for misunderstanding any of them, you may want to apologise for being a little bit naughty though

I wasn't being naughty. Here's that point in full just to keep you happy:

• Avoid high heat. Do not expose your helmet to heat, such as inside a car on a sunny day. Excessive heat can damage the liner or shell, or make them separate.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has put their helmet in a vehicle on a summer's day while transporting the bike. I'm not sure what they expect people to do on the way back from events - strap it to the roof?

 

[ufkacbln]

I wasn't being naughty. Here's that point in full just to keep you happy:

• Avoid high heat. Do not expose your helmet to heat, such as inside a car on a sunny day. Excessive heat can damage the liner or shell, or make them separate.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has put their helmet in a vehicle on a summer's day while transporting the bike. I'm not sure what they expect people to do on the way back from events - strap it to the roof?

I can agree with high heat.....

My Giro Aspect