Helmets are made compulsory for one reason and ONE reason only: for when you have a horrible accident and DON'T die.
If you die, that would be YOUR choice, because you didn't wear a helmet.
If you die, it falls to your family to decide whether to donate your usable organs to those who need them.
if you DON'T die, it becomes your family's choice as to how long you receive life support.
Please, make it non-compulsory to wear helmets. Darwinism will take its toll soon enough.
Lyn Royan - 10 years ago
Does this woman have a death wish - hair can be brushed on arrival at destination.
Albie - 10 years ago
This woman has obviously fallen off her bike and sustained a brain injury!
Istvan - 10 years ago
I visited Hungary last year. There is NO compulsory helmet for bicycles but you can't ride your bikes without a light fitted!
How ridiculous laws we have?
Istvan - 10 years ago
Bike helmets save people's brain when they fall off and hit their heads on the curb. If you think that your head is harder? Well it's your choice but DON"T TRY TO SUE ANYBODY!!!!,
jack frost - 10 years ago
Helmets should be compulsory for all ages and no excuses!
Agnes Day - 10 years ago
Better a-bad-hair-day than a no-hair-day or a dead-hair-day.
My family and I are careful bike commuters and social riders. Personal experiences of no fault accidents at less than 30kmh:
1. Husband with concussion, missing teeth on one side of his jaw, and scarring down that side of his face.
2, Cousin with serious brain damage that lead to him having to leave his job.
3. Friend on a dedicated cycle path with concussion.
All of these took time and money to fix.
If you don't wear a helmet, will you pay all your medical and loss of employment costs yourself?
I do not live in a nanny state - I live in a state where people are expected to take on responsibilities as well as rights.
Claudius - 10 years ago
If you want to use the road, by travelling on the actual road, with cars, trucks, motorcycles, and vehicles with trailers, you need to use some sort of head protection.
You cannot predict what will happen on the roads, take some responsibility for your physical welfare.
And take a comb with you!
K - 10 years ago
I dont agree with this rubbish, however the wearing of helmets shouldnt be compulsory completely for over 18 yo's or those travelling on cycleways or main roads. If im in my local area in a low volume traffic area I dont feel that a helmet is required.
Wendy - 10 years ago
What an idiot
Rob - 10 years ago
Wear it.
we had close friends that was part of the lobby for compulsory helmets. Their son (about 9 years old) died from a little fall off a bike and happened to fall onto a parked car, causing his death. Only a few weeks before he was talking to his mum saying he wanted to be an organ donor! His organs did get donated!
Please think of the ones you will be leaving behind to pick up the pieces.
anti egor - 10 years ago
Suggesting that the wearing of helmetsl sounds righteous... until your next of kin is required to choose whether to turn your life support off or which home to put you in because none of your relatives are able or equipped to deal with a disabled person or whether emergency services should get a pay rise to deal with increased numbers of fatalities they are required to scarpe off the roads each year. Ms. Abbott you are a disgrace to your community and gender.
Rodney - 10 years ago
Sue Abbott you are already brain dead. Sexist and bad hair day is the biggest load of crap I have read for not wearing a helmet. If it was not for the helmet my 18yr old son was wearing early this year when he had an accident, he would have serious brain damage or be dead. The helmet took the main force of the contact with the road and was very badly damaged, and you could see the coloured plastic and foam from the helmet where it dragged along the road surface for over a metre. Fines and seizing her bike is not enough of a deterrent, she should also lose demerit points from her licence. She should also be made to do community service in brain injury rehab centres, so she can see what a bad hair day can do to people. Get a life you stupid self centred woman.
Prue - 10 years ago
This woman is an embarassment to females. I am sure when her family & friends are visiting her in hospital with head injuries they are going to feel so proud of her (hideous) hairdo. Is there a brain under all that mess?
Marc Gleeson - 10 years ago
Please explain how this is sexist when the laws are there to protect everyone... Does this stupid women not understand why the laws are there and enforced in the first place? Her whole argument is idiotic! Helmets are there to save lives just like a seat belt. My thoughts, if the police catch her again charges should be laid to make an example of her stupidity.
Ed - 10 years ago
Make them optional. Let the idiots kill themselves if they want to. Stop blaming Sue for this, people. It's not her fault she's only found one specific hairstyle in which she looks passable.
Owen - 10 years ago
Could somebody please explain to me how this is sexist? If anything, her reasoning is easily more sexist than a helmet law. Saying "Women shouldn't have to wear helmets, because they like to get their hair did, that's sexist" is mind-blowingly idiotic.
Also, there are laws for seat belts, why should a bike be different? What are you losing by wearing a helmet? Your hairstyle? Wouldn't the wind do pretty much the same thing?
Kevin - 10 years ago
Sue abbott your a absolute moron the day you have a accident and end up with brain damage because the helmet might make you have a bad hear day is absolutely stupid .
Sharl - 10 years ago
I am a female cyclist and firmly in favor of having helmet laws. I think it is ridiculous to suggest that laws protecting the cyclist from injury are sexist. If you value your hair more than your brain you don't have one! Keep sexism out of it otherwise you belittle real battles against sexism and do more harm than good for womens rights / equality.
pete - 10 years ago
To all who demand if helmetless riders crash and need hospital treatment they should pay for their own stupidity, can you go to a hospital and demand that everyone being treated for lung cancer as a result of smoking pay for their treatment and that every fat person who is being treated for heart disease or diabetes pay for their own treatment, I mean that's only fair right?
Dale - 10 years ago
The laws don't go far enough, helmets should be worn in any type of vehicle with neck braces by the driver and passengers because seat belts and air bags don't go far enough, there are a lot of injuries every year, that costs millions. What would the USA and Europe know? Only Australia and New Zeland know best. Helmets should be worn when cycling and further extending safety elbow and knee pads must be worn too by every cyclist.
Egor Glebov - 10 years ago
THIS SHOULD BE OPTIONAL. If you know that your life is in danger and you still choose to not wear a helmet then so be it, IT'S YOUR CHOICE, if you die then it's your fault. Don't FORCE people to wear helmets and don't fine them either. It's silly that cops are fining them for not wearing a helmet.
How about fining people for drinking and smoking too, those could kill you as well as others.
Leave these people alone. let it be optional, I don't understand why everyone is forcing this.
Liss - 10 years ago
This is a joke! Helmets are there for our protection!
It prevents head injuries which could be fatal or leave you with brain damage.
I bet after you have a serious injury you will have wished you wore a helmet.
No you cannot force somebody to protect themselves however I agree with the police issuing fines.
Its just like wearing a seat belt in a car its common sense!
If you don't want to take a common sense approach to your own safety and that of others then you should have to fund the consequences yourself. You have a serious accident that causes head trauma fork out the costs of your own treatment don't use government funded hospital care that our tax payer money goes towards.
Colin - 10 years ago
The question is whether bike helmets should be optional. I say YES it should be optional. You cant dictate to another whether or not to wear safety gear.
If they dont want to wear a helmet then it's their choice. Isnt that western society is based on? Choices?
I know that when I cycle, I will always wear a helmet but each to their own.
We are too much of a nanny state by trying to take precautions to keep others safe.
If they dont care about their safety then no one else should either.
Yvie - 10 years ago
If it weren't for me wearing a helmet when I had a cycling accident 5 years ago I would be dead, I landed directly on my head I unfortunately suffered spinal injuries but thanks to my helmet I didn't have a brain injury. This woman is stupid accidents happen and you can't go around thinking it will never happen to you cause one day it just might.
embarrassed for Sue - 10 years ago
I'm embarrassed for this woman…. Very VERY Embarrassed. I'm all for people having an opinion however this ‘opinion’ has ignored all statistical proof regarding the safety implications of not wearing a helmet, not to mention putting woman’s lib back about 50 years. Rest assured men, not all women are this superficial and unaware of basic knowledge when it comes to what may assist us to live to ride another day. Another important point is that regardless of personal objection to a particular law … the Law is the Law and it is a criminal act to brake a law. On saying this, I'm 100% sure the SA laws are not being enforced just to upset women and the mere mention that this is ones particular ‘belief’ is ridiculous. I am dumbfounded by the ignorance Sue Abbott has expressed in this article and I agree with what others have written. I'd take bad hair over cracked skull ANYDAY!
David - 10 years ago
If you ride on the sidewalk, make it optional, if you ride on the road, helmets are absolutely necessary.
Peter - 10 years ago
O wow
Good on you sue
What a stupid idiot your are
Has any one told you about what happens to a bike helmet when you fall from a bike. It cracks if you don't have one your head cracks
As a cyclist and been hit by 2 cars I'm lucky I had a helmet
Your stupid idea and thoughts that you may give kids is beyond believe. Go to the emergency department and ask there about bile helmets
The media should not give her and the idiots any time.
May be if you have a issue with helmets and your hair get a hair cut
I wonder if she fell off her bike and hit her head she may have a different view
The advertiser should put a great cycling story on the front page not idiot views that could result in a death
Chris - 10 years ago
Accidents happen. Serious injury or death can result from not wearing a helmet. I'd prefer bad hair than injury or death.
Jenny Holbrook - 10 years ago
Definitely should not be optional if on the road. this woman is completely stupid and vain, doesn't want to wear a helmet because it gives her "hat hair". I wonder if she has a brain to protect, she needs to see the results of car vs bike, or talk to someone like me who has had their family devastated losing someone in a bike accident, and they were wearing a helmet.
Mark Trus - 10 years ago
What's worse a bad hair day or a cracked skull , would she make her children wear a helmet as a responsible adult. If cyclist's choose not to wear a helmet and suffer an injury they should have to then pay for any medical costs incurred and not let the taxpayer's cover the bill. Does she wear a seat belt in the car ? and if so why ?
Rivor - 10 years ago
I would be either brain-dead or flat out dead now if not for wearing a bike helmet when cycling. The same for many others, I'd suggest. To not wear a helmet when cycling is foolish. I support compulsory wearing of helmets for cyclists.
Wayne - 10 years ago
This is for all those who have no regard for themselves and think it wont happen to them.
Yes it is your right for options but through no fault of any person, accidents happen and without protection because of your stupidity, you are only tying up the health system to repair you, because of your ignorance. The health system is already at maximum and the staff do there best to help everyone. So its about time we help them by thinking before we do. For god's sake its a safety device to protect you.
For those riding in support of opitional helmuts, shame shame shame
Daly Cyclist - 10 years ago
Laws protecting people from themselves exist because so many people either lack common sense or are too narcissistic to comprehend information that does not support their opinion. Arguments about personal freedoms make the assumption that if a person's actions affect only themselves then they should be allowed to do whatever they please. When the argument is about "stupid" laws restricting a persons right to not wear a bike helmet or a seatbelt, or having to comply with speed limits, or not being allowed to smoke in public (armed and naked if that's your preference), and so on, the assumption is incorrect because the consequences do affect other people.
Also, isn't helmet hair more attractive than blood hair?
There's an interesting youtube clip about the invisible bike helmet. Worth a look.
Joe the hairdresser - 10 years ago
With that chosen 'hairstyle' the effect of the helmet is the last of her worries. Another knock to the head might be what she needs. I've survived a nasty fall and saved by my helmet. I wore a helmet because it's a) the law, and b) as an adult I am able to make decisions based on a risk analysis. Bad hair =
Deane - 10 years ago
Helmet save lives, Saving lives cost us an enormous amount of the health budget. Put you family and put you family through hell when you have an accident, just for vanity.
Ally - 10 years ago
Everything should be optional.
B - 10 years ago
I'm a keen female cyclist. A few months ago a car swerved into the bike lane to miss another vehicle and I ended up flying head first onto the road. If I was in a vehicle I would have a scratch on the door of my car. Instead my head hit the ground at over 40km/hr. Because I was wearing a helmet about six cars stopped and checked me and made phone calls - they didn't have to stop and ask if anyone knew CPR. I literally walked away with no more than a shoulder injury because my helmet protected my head. Sure, my accident still cost the tax payer money (several doctors visits, x-rays, ultra-sounds, physio etc), but I don't require long-term care, the road was not blocked (as would have been the case if I was unconscious), other drivers were not traumatised, emergency services didn't need to be diverted from attending heart attacks, and my husband doesn't need to quit his job so he can spoon feed me and change my nappies.
All those things avoided for a $60 helmet being destroyed rather than my brain.
The accident was not my fault; I had lights, reflective clothing and was in a bike lane obeying the road rules. Neither driver involved had a thing against cyclists. But accidents happen. Even the best drivers will make mistakes, just as even the best cyclists will make mistakes. The key is to ensure that a little error isn't a life-time regret (for you, or the person who accidently hurt you).
If I was more worried about my hairstyle than my safety it would have cost the tax-payer, insurance companies, friends and family as I their lifestyle would alter dramatically as they provide me with extensive care. In a country where the public purse pays for that care, then it is appropriate for the public representative (i.e. government) to legislate compliance with basic safety.
Sick of Cyclists - 10 years ago
Forget fining her, throw the damn book at the self centred Neanderthal.
Fools like Sue Abbott just don't get it, they think the whole world revolves around them.
Sue Abbott wants to have the best hair style in the brain injury ward.
-Cyclists ride for free on the roads that drivers pay for.
-There are speed limits placed on drivers, but not cyclists who are riding for free on the roads that drivers pay for.
-Drivers have their speed limits reduced to the point of the roads being an untenable option to protect cyclists and pedestrians from themselves.
-Cyclists don't follow the only 2 road rules and don't get fined yet when drivers don't they get hefty fines.
-When caught, cyclists whinge like stuffed pigs.
-Drivers need to wear set belts, that crushes our clothes yet we get fined and lose our licence for not wearing them; yet drivers can't carry an iron and ironing board with them with them.
MESSED UP HAIR IS NOTHING A QUICK BRUSHING WON'T FIX; GROW A BRAIN AND GET A LIFE FOOL!!!!!
Colby - 10 years ago
While I agree maybe half of all adults are mature/knowledgeable/sensible enough to be able to make their own choices regarding their personal safety, the other half are not. It would be ridiculous to require a cycler's license, so the next best thing is to assume everyone doesn't realize the potential dangers involved and require them to protect themselves. A lot of cyclists I see are already on suicide missions (running stop signs, riding in the middle of the road, swerving, ear buds with music, talking on cell phones, etc.), we shouldn't be making it that much easier for them to kill themselves. Isn't wind hair just as bad as helmet hair?
Degen - 10 years ago
what you are saying is correcy. Buuuut I'm the one who's putting myself in danger, let me do what the hell I what. Should we have s law forbidding people to walk with untied shoe laces because they can trip and fall? Laws should protect people from other people, not from themselves.
Also American - 10 years ago
If you voted yes, I would have to ask if you also believe wearing seat belts in a car should be a law or not? When you have had 2 close friends and 1 family member all die from either a bicycle or atv wreck and they would have lived if they were wearing a helmet then I would believe you would think differently.
Conservative? Freedom? American, you speak of things that have nothing to do with personal safety.
I think this entire thing is completely assinign and this women is wasting her time and advocating for lack of safety rules that are in place for your own personal safety. Ridiculous, seriously, your hair is gonna get messed up, but you don't care about your skull being crushed by concrete? Ok, sure...
American - 10 years ago
Willing to bet those part of the 60%+ voting to enforce helmet laws for bicyclists are the same ignorant conservatives holding up signs saying "keep you gubment hands of my medicare". Its amazing how much freedom conservatives cry about so long as they get to dictate what freedoms others have. Hypocrites, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU THAT VOTED NO.
Looking at this vote I'm not suprised to see the outcome. People complain about government being evil and we want our freedoms and gov get out of our lives. yada yada. Then when it comes down to it. The same stupid people want to force others to wear plastic and foam on their heads. This is why government stinks, because the people they represent STINK. You all want your freedoms until someone does something you don't like. It doesn't work that way. Either we are all free or we are not. That means its not your business what other people do, whether they wear a helmet on their heads, whether they eat fast food, whether they put chemicals in their bodies. As long as it doesn't hurt you , it should not be of your concern. Clearly, you idiots don't understand this simple concept.
Looking at this vote I'm not suprised to see the outcome. People complain about government being evil and we want our freedoms and gov get out of our lives. yada yada. Then when it comes down to it. The same stupid people want to force others to wear plastic and foam on their heads. This is why government stinks, because the people they represent STINK. You all want your freedoms until someone does something you don't like. It doesn't work that way. Either we are all free or we are not. That means its not your business what other people do, whether they wear a helmet on their heads, whether they eat fast food, whether they put chemicals in their bodies. As long as it doesn't hurt you , it should not be of your concern. Clearly, you idiots don't understand this simple concept.
Margaret McArthur - 10 years ago
Correction
Damn auto correct
In my post it should have said at the end of the post..
"And in a personal aside to hair brained woman in the article. Hair over brains are you serious? Bad hair day? Remove helmet. Stick head under tap. Bad hair problem solved and you may get the brain God gave you working. Happy and safe cycling
Margaret - 10 years ago
Second worst hair day? Probably when you are dead.
Worst hair day? When you are brain injured.
When I was nursing student I used to think a lot about a person with a brain injury. They used to "get " to me. For them the memory of the most mundane tasks of life, like combing their hair, destroyed in some random and unexpected catastrophic event.
Then when I worked in a children's rehab unit we could spend months working on one tiny skill. Hair brushing, makeup application was quite frankly beyond some of our teens. Achieving the very basic life skills we take for granted was a moment to be savoured and celebrated
We all like a little look in the mirror and have a sneaky spit and polish. Get a brain injury and you wish you could comb your hair, or tie your laces, or feed yourself . Live an independent life. No way.
Get real.
Anyone I love will be wearing a helmet. My step daughter and my nieces. My step son, my nephew, my husband. Me. Look at the stats.
Anyone who voted yes in this polls needs to spend a moment in a brain injury unit or in an emergency room. Think again. Then put your helmet on. And for those who argue that it is your life, think again. There is always collateral damage, it is not just your life but the cost to your family, the community and the example you set to the people who admire and love you.
You may not like to hear it but your decision, not to wear a helmet is selfish and in this case vain.. Which is downright weird.
(Yes I know it may not save you if your time is up but if you are catapulted into the air, a helmet rather than skull is always a better landing pad.)
And in a personal aside to the brained woman in the article. Hair over brains are you serious?
Bad hair day? Remove helmet. Stick head under tap. Bad hair problem solved and you might get the brain God gave you working.
Helmets are made compulsory for one reason and ONE reason only: for when you have a horrible accident and DON'T die.
If you die, that would be YOUR choice, because you didn't wear a helmet.
If you die, it falls to your family to decide whether to donate your usable organs to those who need them.
if you DON'T die, it becomes your family's choice as to how long you receive life support.
Please, make it non-compulsory to wear helmets. Darwinism will take its toll soon enough.
Does this woman have a death wish - hair can be brushed on arrival at destination.
This woman has obviously fallen off her bike and sustained a brain injury!
I visited Hungary last year. There is NO compulsory helmet for bicycles but you can't ride your bikes without a light fitted!
How ridiculous laws we have?
Bike helmets save people's brain when they fall off and hit their heads on the curb. If you think that your head is harder? Well it's your choice but DON"T TRY TO SUE ANYBODY!!!!,
Helmets should be compulsory for all ages and no excuses!
Better a-bad-hair-day than a no-hair-day or a dead-hair-day.
My family and I are careful bike commuters and social riders. Personal experiences of no fault accidents at less than 30kmh:
1. Husband with concussion, missing teeth on one side of his jaw, and scarring down that side of his face.
2, Cousin with serious brain damage that lead to him having to leave his job.
3. Friend on a dedicated cycle path with concussion.
All of these took time and money to fix.
If you don't wear a helmet, will you pay all your medical and loss of employment costs yourself?
I do not live in a nanny state - I live in a state where people are expected to take on responsibilities as well as rights.
If you want to use the road, by travelling on the actual road, with cars, trucks, motorcycles, and vehicles with trailers, you need to use some sort of head protection.
You cannot predict what will happen on the roads, take some responsibility for your physical welfare.
And take a comb with you!
I dont agree with this rubbish, however the wearing of helmets shouldnt be compulsory completely for over 18 yo's or those travelling on cycleways or main roads. If im in my local area in a low volume traffic area I dont feel that a helmet is required.
What an idiot
Wear it.
we had close friends that was part of the lobby for compulsory helmets. Their son (about 9 years old) died from a little fall off a bike and happened to fall onto a parked car, causing his death. Only a few weeks before he was talking to his mum saying he wanted to be an organ donor! His organs did get donated!
Please think of the ones you will be leaving behind to pick up the pieces.
Suggesting that the wearing of helmetsl sounds righteous... until your next of kin is required to choose whether to turn your life support off or which home to put you in because none of your relatives are able or equipped to deal with a disabled person or whether emergency services should get a pay rise to deal with increased numbers of fatalities they are required to scarpe off the roads each year. Ms. Abbott you are a disgrace to your community and gender.
Sue Abbott you are already brain dead. Sexist and bad hair day is the biggest load of crap I have read for not wearing a helmet. If it was not for the helmet my 18yr old son was wearing early this year when he had an accident, he would have serious brain damage or be dead. The helmet took the main force of the contact with the road and was very badly damaged, and you could see the coloured plastic and foam from the helmet where it dragged along the road surface for over a metre. Fines and seizing her bike is not enough of a deterrent, she should also lose demerit points from her licence. She should also be made to do community service in brain injury rehab centres, so she can see what a bad hair day can do to people. Get a life you stupid self centred woman.
This woman is an embarassment to females. I am sure when her family & friends are visiting her in hospital with head injuries they are going to feel so proud of her (hideous) hairdo. Is there a brain under all that mess?
Please explain how this is sexist when the laws are there to protect everyone... Does this stupid women not understand why the laws are there and enforced in the first place? Her whole argument is idiotic! Helmets are there to save lives just like a seat belt. My thoughts, if the police catch her again charges should be laid to make an example of her stupidity.
Make them optional. Let the idiots kill themselves if they want to. Stop blaming Sue for this, people. It's not her fault she's only found one specific hairstyle in which she looks passable.
Could somebody please explain to me how this is sexist? If anything, her reasoning is easily more sexist than a helmet law. Saying "Women shouldn't have to wear helmets, because they like to get their hair did, that's sexist" is mind-blowingly idiotic.
Also, there are laws for seat belts, why should a bike be different? What are you losing by wearing a helmet? Your hairstyle? Wouldn't the wind do pretty much the same thing?
Sue abbott your a absolute moron the day you have a accident and end up with brain damage because the helmet might make you have a bad hear day is absolutely stupid .
I am a female cyclist and firmly in favor of having helmet laws. I think it is ridiculous to suggest that laws protecting the cyclist from injury are sexist. If you value your hair more than your brain you don't have one! Keep sexism out of it otherwise you belittle real battles against sexism and do more harm than good for womens rights / equality.
To all who demand if helmetless riders crash and need hospital treatment they should pay for their own stupidity, can you go to a hospital and demand that everyone being treated for lung cancer as a result of smoking pay for their treatment and that every fat person who is being treated for heart disease or diabetes pay for their own treatment, I mean that's only fair right?
The laws don't go far enough, helmets should be worn in any type of vehicle with neck braces by the driver and passengers because seat belts and air bags don't go far enough, there are a lot of injuries every year, that costs millions. What would the USA and Europe know? Only Australia and New Zeland know best. Helmets should be worn when cycling and further extending safety elbow and knee pads must be worn too by every cyclist.
THIS SHOULD BE OPTIONAL. If you know that your life is in danger and you still choose to not wear a helmet then so be it, IT'S YOUR CHOICE, if you die then it's your fault. Don't FORCE people to wear helmets and don't fine them either. It's silly that cops are fining them for not wearing a helmet.
How about fining people for drinking and smoking too, those could kill you as well as others.
Leave these people alone. let it be optional, I don't understand why everyone is forcing this.
This is a joke! Helmets are there for our protection!
It prevents head injuries which could be fatal or leave you with brain damage.
I bet after you have a serious injury you will have wished you wore a helmet.
No you cannot force somebody to protect themselves however I agree with the police issuing fines.
Its just like wearing a seat belt in a car its common sense!
If you don't want to take a common sense approach to your own safety and that of others then you should have to fund the consequences yourself. You have a serious accident that causes head trauma fork out the costs of your own treatment don't use government funded hospital care that our tax payer money goes towards.
The question is whether bike helmets should be optional. I say YES it should be optional. You cant dictate to another whether or not to wear safety gear.
If they dont want to wear a helmet then it's their choice. Isnt that western society is based on? Choices?
I know that when I cycle, I will always wear a helmet but each to their own.
We are too much of a nanny state by trying to take precautions to keep others safe.
If they dont care about their safety then no one else should either.
If it weren't for me wearing a helmet when I had a cycling accident 5 years ago I would be dead, I landed directly on my head I unfortunately suffered spinal injuries but thanks to my helmet I didn't have a brain injury. This woman is stupid accidents happen and you can't go around thinking it will never happen to you cause one day it just might.
I'm embarrassed for this woman…. Very VERY Embarrassed. I'm all for people having an opinion however this ‘opinion’ has ignored all statistical proof regarding the safety implications of not wearing a helmet, not to mention putting woman’s lib back about 50 years. Rest assured men, not all women are this superficial and unaware of basic knowledge when it comes to what may assist us to live to ride another day. Another important point is that regardless of personal objection to a particular law … the Law is the Law and it is a criminal act to brake a law. On saying this, I'm 100% sure the SA laws are not being enforced just to upset women and the mere mention that this is ones particular ‘belief’ is ridiculous. I am dumbfounded by the ignorance Sue Abbott has expressed in this article and I agree with what others have written. I'd take bad hair over cracked skull ANYDAY!
If you ride on the sidewalk, make it optional, if you ride on the road, helmets are absolutely necessary.
O wow
Good on you sue
What a stupid idiot your are
Has any one told you about what happens to a bike helmet when you fall from a bike. It cracks if you don't have one your head cracks
As a cyclist and been hit by 2 cars I'm lucky I had a helmet
Your stupid idea and thoughts that you may give kids is beyond believe. Go to the emergency department and ask there about bile helmets
The media should not give her and the idiots any time.
May be if you have a issue with helmets and your hair get a hair cut
I wonder if she fell off her bike and hit her head she may have a different view
The advertiser should put a great cycling story on the front page not idiot views that could result in a death
Accidents happen. Serious injury or death can result from not wearing a helmet. I'd prefer bad hair than injury or death.
Definitely should not be optional if on the road. this woman is completely stupid and vain, doesn't want to wear a helmet because it gives her "hat hair". I wonder if she has a brain to protect, she needs to see the results of car vs bike, or talk to someone like me who has had their family devastated losing someone in a bike accident, and they were wearing a helmet.
What's worse a bad hair day or a cracked skull , would she make her children wear a helmet as a responsible adult. If cyclist's choose not to wear a helmet and suffer an injury they should have to then pay for any medical costs incurred and not let the taxpayer's cover the bill. Does she wear a seat belt in the car ? and if so why ?
I would be either brain-dead or flat out dead now if not for wearing a bike helmet when cycling. The same for many others, I'd suggest. To not wear a helmet when cycling is foolish. I support compulsory wearing of helmets for cyclists.
This is for all those who have no regard for themselves and think it wont happen to them.
Yes it is your right for options but through no fault of any person, accidents happen and without protection because of your stupidity, you are only tying up the health system to repair you, because of your ignorance. The health system is already at maximum and the staff do there best to help everyone. So its about time we help them by thinking before we do. For god's sake its a safety device to protect you.
For those riding in support of opitional helmuts, shame shame shame
Laws protecting people from themselves exist because so many people either lack common sense or are too narcissistic to comprehend information that does not support their opinion. Arguments about personal freedoms make the assumption that if a person's actions affect only themselves then they should be allowed to do whatever they please. When the argument is about "stupid" laws restricting a persons right to not wear a bike helmet or a seatbelt, or having to comply with speed limits, or not being allowed to smoke in public (armed and naked if that's your preference), and so on, the assumption is incorrect because the consequences do affect other people.
Also, isn't helmet hair more attractive than blood hair?
There's an interesting youtube clip about the invisible bike helmet. Worth a look.
With that chosen 'hairstyle' the effect of the helmet is the last of her worries. Another knock to the head might be what she needs. I've survived a nasty fall and saved by my helmet. I wore a helmet because it's a) the law, and b) as an adult I am able to make decisions based on a risk analysis. Bad hair =
Helmet save lives, Saving lives cost us an enormous amount of the health budget. Put you family and put you family through hell when you have an accident, just for vanity.
Everything should be optional.
I'm a keen female cyclist. A few months ago a car swerved into the bike lane to miss another vehicle and I ended up flying head first onto the road. If I was in a vehicle I would have a scratch on the door of my car. Instead my head hit the ground at over 40km/hr. Because I was wearing a helmet about six cars stopped and checked me and made phone calls - they didn't have to stop and ask if anyone knew CPR. I literally walked away with no more than a shoulder injury because my helmet protected my head. Sure, my accident still cost the tax payer money (several doctors visits, x-rays, ultra-sounds, physio etc), but I don't require long-term care, the road was not blocked (as would have been the case if I was unconscious), other drivers were not traumatised, emergency services didn't need to be diverted from attending heart attacks, and my husband doesn't need to quit his job so he can spoon feed me and change my nappies.
All those things avoided for a $60 helmet being destroyed rather than my brain.
The accident was not my fault; I had lights, reflective clothing and was in a bike lane obeying the road rules. Neither driver involved had a thing against cyclists. But accidents happen. Even the best drivers will make mistakes, just as even the best cyclists will make mistakes. The key is to ensure that a little error isn't a life-time regret (for you, or the person who accidently hurt you).
If I was more worried about my hairstyle than my safety it would have cost the tax-payer, insurance companies, friends and family as I their lifestyle would alter dramatically as they provide me with extensive care. In a country where the public purse pays for that care, then it is appropriate for the public representative (i.e. government) to legislate compliance with basic safety.
Forget fining her, throw the damn book at the self centred Neanderthal.
Fools like Sue Abbott just don't get it, they think the whole world revolves around them.
Sue Abbott wants to have the best hair style in the brain injury ward.
-Cyclists ride for free on the roads that drivers pay for.
-There are speed limits placed on drivers, but not cyclists who are riding for free on the roads that drivers pay for.
-Drivers have their speed limits reduced to the point of the roads being an untenable option to protect cyclists and pedestrians from themselves.
-Cyclists don't follow the only 2 road rules and don't get fined yet when drivers don't they get hefty fines.
-When caught, cyclists whinge like stuffed pigs.
-Drivers need to wear set belts, that crushes our clothes yet we get fined and lose our licence for not wearing them; yet drivers can't carry an iron and ironing board with them with them.
MESSED UP HAIR IS NOTHING A QUICK BRUSHING WON'T FIX; GROW A BRAIN AND GET A LIFE FOOL!!!!!
While I agree maybe half of all adults are mature/knowledgeable/sensible enough to be able to make their own choices regarding their personal safety, the other half are not. It would be ridiculous to require a cycler's license, so the next best thing is to assume everyone doesn't realize the potential dangers involved and require them to protect themselves. A lot of cyclists I see are already on suicide missions (running stop signs, riding in the middle of the road, swerving, ear buds with music, talking on cell phones, etc.), we shouldn't be making it that much easier for them to kill themselves. Isn't wind hair just as bad as helmet hair?
what you are saying is correcy. Buuuut I'm the one who's putting myself in danger, let me do what the hell I what. Should we have s law forbidding people to walk with untied shoe laces because they can trip and fall? Laws should protect people from other people, not from themselves.
If you voted yes, I would have to ask if you also believe wearing seat belts in a car should be a law or not? When you have had 2 close friends and 1 family member all die from either a bicycle or atv wreck and they would have lived if they were wearing a helmet then I would believe you would think differently.
Conservative? Freedom? American, you speak of things that have nothing to do with personal safety.
I think this entire thing is completely assinign and this women is wasting her time and advocating for lack of safety rules that are in place for your own personal safety. Ridiculous, seriously, your hair is gonna get messed up, but you don't care about your skull being crushed by concrete? Ok, sure...
Willing to bet those part of the 60%+ voting to enforce helmet laws for bicyclists are the same ignorant conservatives holding up signs saying "keep you gubment hands of my medicare". Its amazing how much freedom conservatives cry about so long as they get to dictate what freedoms others have. Hypocrites, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU THAT VOTED NO.
Looking at this vote I'm not suprised to see the outcome. People complain about government being evil and we want our freedoms and gov get out of our lives. yada yada. Then when it comes down to it. The same stupid people want to force others to wear plastic and foam on their heads. This is why government stinks, because the people they represent STINK. You all want your freedoms until someone does something you don't like. It doesn't work that way. Either we are all free or we are not. That means its not your business what other people do, whether they wear a helmet on their heads, whether they eat fast food, whether they put chemicals in their bodies. As long as it doesn't hurt you , it should not be of your concern. Clearly, you idiots don't understand this simple concept.
Looking at this vote I'm not suprised to see the outcome. People complain about government being evil and we want our freedoms and gov get out of our lives. yada yada. Then when it comes down to it. The same stupid people want to force others to wear plastic and foam on their heads. This is why government stinks, because the people they represent STINK. You all want your freedoms until someone does something you don't like. It doesn't work that way. Either we are all free or we are not. That means its not your business what other people do, whether they wear a helmet on their heads, whether they eat fast food, whether they put chemicals in their bodies. As long as it doesn't hurt you , it should not be of your concern. Clearly, you idiots don't understand this simple concept.
Correction
Damn auto correct
In my post it should have said at the end of the post..
"And in a personal aside to hair brained woman in the article. Hair over brains are you serious? Bad hair day? Remove helmet. Stick head under tap. Bad hair problem solved and you may get the brain God gave you working. Happy and safe cycling
Second worst hair day? Probably when you are dead.
Worst hair day? When you are brain injured.
When I was nursing student I used to think a lot about a person with a brain injury. They used to "get " to me. For them the memory of the most mundane tasks of life, like combing their hair, destroyed in some random and unexpected catastrophic event.
Then when I worked in a children's rehab unit we could spend months working on one tiny skill. Hair brushing, makeup application was quite frankly beyond some of our teens. Achieving the very basic life skills we take for granted was a moment to be savoured and celebrated
We all like a little look in the mirror and have a sneaky spit and polish. Get a brain injury and you wish you could comb your hair, or tie your laces, or feed yourself . Live an independent life. No way.
Get real.
Anyone I love will be wearing a helmet. My step daughter and my nieces. My step son, my nephew, my husband. Me. Look at the stats.
Anyone who voted yes in this polls needs to spend a moment in a brain injury unit or in an emergency room. Think again. Then put your helmet on. And for those who argue that it is your life, think again. There is always collateral damage, it is not just your life but the cost to your family, the community and the example you set to the people who admire and love you.
You may not like to hear it but your decision, not to wear a helmet is selfish and in this case vain.. Which is downright weird.
(Yes I know it may not save you if your time is up but if you are catapulted into the air, a helmet rather than skull is always a better landing pad.)
And in a personal aside to the brained woman in the article. Hair over brains are you serious?
Bad hair day? Remove helmet. Stick head under tap. Bad hair problem solved and you might get the brain God gave you working.
Happy and safe cycling