Bicycle helmet laws = bad?
Jun. 11th, 2008 09:00 pm"The Dangers of Helmets", a British Medical Journal article arguing against bicycle helmet laws:
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7276/1582#SEC4
The basic arguments are:
- Requiring helmets gives an impression that cycling is more dangerous than walking or driving, this scares off people who would be healthier if they cycled.
- If a helmet is a legal requirement, people will think that simply having one is adequate, instead of learning how to bike cautiously.
- Helmets don't actually protect riders (justification provided via a cartload of what is, to my eyes, rather questionable statistical analysis.)