I cannot fathom why people think they don't need a helmet while cycling in Australia. I have two friends who have come off their bikes in the last 15 months. No cars involved, one collided with another cyclist, the other had his accident on a rough section of bike track. Both were wearing helmets. One would probably not have survived without his helment, and continues a gradual recovery. The other will fully recover, due in large part to his helmet. Both have families and the impact has been, at the very minimum, very significant on all concerned. Given the unfortunate experiences of my two friends, the argument that plenty of European countries don't require cyclists to wear a helment, and we should follow suit, does not hold water. If you think the above scenarios could not happen to you, neither did my two friends. The more severely injured of the two may never cycle again...and his future employment prospects are in doubt. Those who cycle without wearing a properly-fitting helment are, in my opinion, fools.
Kathleen - 12 years ago
I have a good sense of humour - I get that cycling isn't some people's thang. However, people have been injured by being deliberately run off the road or struck. I find it extremely disturbing that people would think this violently about cyclists. And you won't always get away with it either. I know someone who cycled in Sydney for years, and was badly harassed and hit by a truck. She collected witnesses, took 'em to court and won. I've cycled in a few countries in the world, in both cities and the country and nowhere are attitudes towards cyclists as bad as in Australia (except probably the USA). And remember most of us 'evil cyclists' also drive, own cars, pay taxes (which pays for roads) and car rego (which only pays a tiny proportion of road costs). And before you harp on about bad cyclist behaviour, I have noticed in astonishment that in driving around the past *two* weeks I have seen four vehicles blatantly run red lights, two of them trucks and well after the light change, one narrowly missing causing an accident. Education is a key for both drivers and cyclists in order to share the roads.
I cannot fathom why people think they don't need a helmet while cycling in Australia. I have two friends who have come off their bikes in the last 15 months. No cars involved, one collided with another cyclist, the other had his accident on a rough section of bike track. Both were wearing helmets. One would probably not have survived without his helment, and continues a gradual recovery. The other will fully recover, due in large part to his helmet. Both have families and the impact has been, at the very minimum, very significant on all concerned. Given the unfortunate experiences of my two friends, the argument that plenty of European countries don't require cyclists to wear a helment, and we should follow suit, does not hold water. If you think the above scenarios could not happen to you, neither did my two friends. The more severely injured of the two may never cycle again...and his future employment prospects are in doubt. Those who cycle without wearing a properly-fitting helment are, in my opinion, fools.
I have a good sense of humour - I get that cycling isn't some people's thang. However, people have been injured by being deliberately run off the road or struck. I find it extremely disturbing that people would think this violently about cyclists. And you won't always get away with it either. I know someone who cycled in Sydney for years, and was badly harassed and hit by a truck. She collected witnesses, took 'em to court and won. I've cycled in a few countries in the world, in both cities and the country and nowhere are attitudes towards cyclists as bad as in Australia (except probably the USA). And remember most of us 'evil cyclists' also drive, own cars, pay taxes (which pays for roads) and car rego (which only pays a tiny proportion of road costs). And before you harp on about bad cyclist behaviour, I have noticed in astonishment that in driving around the past *two* weeks I have seen four vehicles blatantly run red lights, two of them trucks and well after the light change, one narrowly missing causing an accident. Education is a key for both drivers and cyclists in order to share the roads.