Friday, March 24, 2006

Anti mandatory helmet paper in British Medical Journal


A helmet-less bicycle rider in New Orleans.
Discussion at BikeBiz.

Quote: "The British Medical Association famously said that the risks of cycling are far outweighed by the health benefits of cycling." Phooey on the BMA.

On my lunch ride today I saw one of my neighbors on Weld County Road 1 (County Line Road), sans-helmet. That was unusual enough that my riding partners made some comments about it.

Mandatory helmet usage for children recently became state law in New Jersey.

Guns 'n' Roadbikes

Don't hassle the cyclists in Jacksonville, Florida. Some guys in a van pulled up to a cyclist, said something the cyclist apparently didn't like, and the cyclist pulled out a gun and started shooting. Share the roador else.

Moves

I mentioned this before, but Fat Cyclist is also moving because of a job change. He's ahead of me in the game, putting his house on the market. Before I can sell my house, I have to fill in the swimming-pool sized hole that my children have dug in the backyard in their attempt to visit China. I also have a fence to repair, walls to paint and repair, a broken doorknob to replace, and carpets to clean. Children are very hard on houses.

Oh, I currently live in a 2100+ square foot house with four bedrooms, an office, a living room AND family room, and three bathrooms. That means I have enough furniture to fill a 3000 square foot house with blah blah blah. There is no way I'll afford a place in California that will accomodate this furniture, which means you'll find great deals on used furniture at my home come garage sale time. Just about everything must go.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think people should be able to make their own decisions when it comes to helmets.

However, I'm living proof that they'll save your life.

Anonymous said...

"For anything competitive, fast, or difficutl, I think helmets are essential.

For a leiserely half-mile trip to the local park, though - that's not a dangerous activity.

RFM"

Exactly

Unknown said...

I think people should have a choice as well! Then again, if you ride without one you should also probably sign a hold harmless waiver for head injuries with your health insurance carrier and medicare and so on! I choose to wear a helmet and have seen what happens to it when it hits the road, and much prefer to sacrifice a bit of plastic and padding than my SKULL!

Michael said...

I was struck by a motorcycle on my side while biking (t-boned actually). The impact sent me flying off the bike and the road, and I landed on frozen ground between a mailbox and tree. I highly doubt that if I was not wearing a helmet, I would not be typing this today. Thankfully, I walked away unhurt. My advice, anywhere on a road with traffic, wear it.