So, I haven't read this whole thread (please tell me no one has!!) but I wanted to vent about something I found on the web. It's the form for getting a medical exemption to compulsory helmet laws in Victoria, Australia (ie Melbourne and surrounds).
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/~/m...pproved_bicycle_helmet_in_victoria.ashx?la=en
Don't bother downloading it, here's the bit that makes me furious.
This medical report will be forwarded by VicRoads to the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (at VicRoads’ expense) for an independent opinion. You may be contacted for further medical information. Please note that exemptions are only granted where a person experiences extreme difficulty [my bold] in wearing a bicycle helmet.
There is no requirement in Australia to get a doctor's letter if you want to sit on your increasingly fat arse all day, even though that is much more dangerous than cycling without a helmet (I assume in pro-compulsion lobby are aware of the relative dangers of inactivity).
I wonder what "extreme difficulty" is? Blinding migraines? Arterial bleeding? Coma?
It's fair to assume that if you get dermatitis where the strap touches your skin, that wouldn't be described as
extreme, but who's going to cycle if it means you have a constant rash on your neck. A headache that develops after an hour of wear? That's not extreme, but again, who's going to risk a headache for a ride.
The religious exemptions are much less onerous. I briefly thought the solution would be to become a pastafarian, but I think wearing a colander on your head to avoid wearing a helmet might be taking things a little to far.
Thank you. You can resume your discussion now.
