The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[jefmcg]

Helmet Angle

I thought "that's weird, wouldn't 'Helmet Angel' be a better name?"

But I see it's a typo, and that's its name.

(I don't go fast enough for helmet noise + I make a lot of snuffling noise that no amount of ear guards could suppress)

 

[Justinslow]

Email from my daughters high school.

 

[MontyVeda]

Are you going to write back asking how a cycling helmet will 'ensure' their safety?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Are they also requiring that parents do not park within 800 metres of the school to ensure pupils safety?

 

[Justinslow]

My daughter doesn't ride to school, we're probably 4 miles away from the school but the roads are all really busy around school drop off times and she is only 11 with little road experience she won't be riding any time soon, she catches the bus.
Just thought I'd throw it on here as it's interesting debate.
Seems wrong to me though even though I'm generally pro helmet. I don't make my kids wear them when they are just going to the park in our village.
I wonder what has prompted the school to take this action?
I might email asking why, it doesn't bother me too much but I can understand it would bother some people.

 

[Justinslow]

My dissatisfaction with the email got the better of me and I have replied seeking clarification of why this course of action has been taken. I mentioned the "evidence" and the detrimental health impact of people not cycling due to compulsion even though I generally choose to wear a helmet myself. We'll see what kind of reply I get!

 

[Fab Foodie]

Email from my daughters high school.
View attachment 382286

Surely it’s none of their business how children get to school?

 

[snorri]

[QUOTE 5013260, member: 43827"]Yes but who can be ar*ed to read back through 395 pages?

The thread's probably been regurgitating the same stuff for about the last 370 pages.[/QUOTE]
True, but most CycleChatters are a patient lot and are happy to respond to the same old questions and misunderstandings on countless cycle related topics from a succession of newbies.

 

[mjr]

My daughter doesn't ride to school, we're probably 4 miles away from the school but the roads are all really busy around school drop off times and she is only 11 with little road experience she won't be riding any time soon, she catches the bus.

Firstly, the lack of children cycling and the roads being really busy around school drop off times are connected, a motoring death spiral for schoolchildren.

Secondly, an 11 year old with little road experience? Big - I think when in the last few years of primary school (we changed at 11), we went loads of places on our bikes. I think we had to be near home before dark and were told to stick to the direct crossings of the A5 (not the staggered ones where you could get stuck in the middle of the road waiting to turn right) but the country lanes were fair game. I'm very disappointed if that childhood freedom has been taken away.

I did go to school by bus at first, but a combination of bus bullies and traffic jams too often making us late meant I started cycling. This also gave me more freedom to stop off at friends who lived in other villages with a fairly long walk and no bus link to mine. Surely schools should be trying to encourage physical activity, not squash it with helmet rules?

https://allpartycycling.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/get-britain-cycling_goodwin-report.pdf page 59 section 4.2 "Schools, colleges and employers alike should be incentivised to promote cycling for their pupils and work-forces respectively, e.g. through bike to school and bike to work initiatives (see also 4.6 and 4.9 - 4.10). They should be encouraged to work with local authorities and others to improve cycle access, cycle parking, and facilities such as lockers and showers – with funding made available to support this. They should not simply seek to ban or restrict cycle use, or to impose helmet rules – these are not only misguided in terms of health and safety, but may also be illegal."

I wonder what has prompted the school to take this action?

Probably prejudice and ignorance of the more-recent-than-the-highway-code guidance from parliament (above), NICE, https://timrgill.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/cycling-rpt-gill-05.pdf and so on. If you're really pro-choice, then shouldn't you challenge this?

Also, today, helmet compulsion, tomorrow a ban on SPDs? Already some schools refuse to let children clip in for Bikeability training. How long before they start making up other rules to stop any sort of cycling that the teachers dislike?

Surely it’s none of their business how children get to school?

Technically they're not restricting it. They're only denying access to parking, same as we weren't allowed to drive up in a tractor and expect to leave it in the school car park (I did my A-levels at a school, so some people passed their driving test before we left school). Of course, their hope may be that if you have to carry a hard hat to use the parking, you'll decide your head is a good place to carry it, right up until you injure yourself as a consequence and give up this dangerous activity.

 

[Mugshot]

I'm very disappointed if that childhood freedom has been taken away.

I'm sure you must be aware that there are less children cycling on the roads than there used to be, or at least there certainly appears to be. Whilst I am quite sure it's mainly due to people being more reluctant to let their children ride on the road, or even be outside unsupervised, I suspect there's other factors at play, computer games for a start. The days of gangs of kids racing around on their brand new bikes on Christmas Day are a distant memory.
That of course is what makes these sorts of instructions so disappointing, at a time when we should be making every effort to encourage youngsters to cycle we get this kind of thing which can stop any progress in it's tracks.
I wonder if the school will be buying helmets for those that maybe can't afford them?

 

[benb]

My dissatisfaction with the email got the better of me and I have replied seeking clarification of why this course of action has been taken. I mentioned the "evidence" and the detrimental health impact of people not cycling due to compulsion even though I generally choose to wear a helmet myself. We'll see what kind of reply I get!

Sincerely, and without wanting to come across as condescending, I'm proud of you for that.

 

[Justinslow]

Sincerely, and without wanting to come across as condescending, I'm proud of you for that.

Cheers,
It's just becoming more aware of the subject through CC that I feel the need to question the decision despite my own choices to wear or not to wear one.
Personally I think what they've done is mad.

 

[Siclo]

Email from my daughters high school.
View attachment 382286

How they are penalising students who don't cycle and don't wear a helmet? Anybody seen any studies of the efficacy of cycle helmets in lunch queue accidents?

 

[Justinslow]

What a crap reason.

So I've replied again repeating the negligible effects on safety and the detrimental effects on cycling numbers and therefore health benefits are reduced when compulsion is introduced. I also suggested that the Police might not be the best experts on this topic!

I suggested better education for road users and better training for cyclists might be the answer!

To my mind it looks "good" for the school imposing helmet compulsion to those that know bugger all about it, but will deliver very little.

 

[velovoice]

I agree, it looks like your school is more concerned with "being seen" to address the issue of road safety without it actually requiring them to make any meaningful changes.