Wiggins calls for cyclist laws

[NewsBot]

Bradley Wiggins calls for a law requiring cyclists to wear helmets after a fatal crash near the Olympic park prompts debate about the safety of London's roads.

 

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[sillygirl1]

It should also be LAW for cyclists not to listen to iPods whilst cycling, you need your eyes AND your ears whilst on the road - and don't even get me onto the ones who ingore traffic lights being red at zebra crossings - saw one do this and nearly ended up under an oncoming bus.

[andydd]

Personally as a cyclist I am against compulsary helmets and not using iPods, the latter it would seem a step way to far not to mention impossible to police.

 

Andy

[sailor sam]

Having lights at night is compulsory for cyclists.... but i seem to be seeing more without than with so what chance have you got with making anything else compulsory?

 

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[MrHat]

Helmets on public highways should be mandatory for the same reasons that seatbelts are in cars.

 

Also agree that jumping red lights and zebra crossings should be severely punished

[postggj]

what would you rather have

 

a few quid on a helmet or being fed through a straw for the rest of your life

 

is it realy worth it

[andydd]

Although general evidence from around the worls is that compluisary helmets actually reduces the number of people cycling and therefore makes them less active and unhealthy in other way..i.e..fat.

 

There is no real evidence that helmet on roads prevents many serious deaths/accidents, . for eaxmple the guy killed at Stratford the bus went over his body, clearly they are effective at very high speeds..I always wear one (my trials helmet) when cross country riding and even more so when very high speed downhill riding (my full face one) (my GPS tells me I got upto 76 kph in the Alps).

 

Personally I think steps such as better road layouts, and educationg cyclists and drivers is more important that compulsary helmets, also worth nothing that most UK Bike organasiation dont support it either.

 

Andy

[postggj]

May i ask why Royal Mail made it compulsory for their staff to wear helmets and the cost implication as well in providing PPE as an example if studies have showed that the use of helmets do not reduce, or prevent serious accidents

 

I have seen the official statistics from Royal Mail on the incidents on staff days lost through head injuries prior and post implementation of the compulsory use of cycle helmets, and why it became a conduct code issue through not wearing one.

 

Another example of compulsory helmet use would be the police and PCSO

 

Their must be official goverment statistics also on the serious injury reduction on wearing helmets and those not wearing

 

The use of helmets is for the protection of head trauma

 

The evidence and statistics from around the world that sugests that wearing compulsory helmets make people fat and less active is conjecture on who is actually doing the report

 

If official figure are avaliable to sustain any report then they need to be made avaliable

 

Unofficial reports can be extreamely biased as to who has the commission to make such a report

 

(LUCOZADE ENERGY DRINKS)

 

for example which has been proven to have absolutely no beneficial effect to athletes or the use of a certain brand of trainers to make you run faster

 

The biggest problem cyclists have on the roads today is the ignorance of other motorists and the dont care attitude

Edited August 4, 2012 by squaddie

[nut.magnet]

Hi.. bit late but thought I'd add my views.

 

I recently went to the aid of a cyclist who was cycling on the footpath at night and suffered a "blow out" with the front tyre, it shot him off the bike and he headbutted a brick garden wall, specifically the sharp corner of a brick post. Ouch...!

 

He was not wearing a helmet and suffered a deep cut to his forehead and what looked like a deep dent in his head, plenty of blood and he left a fair bit of skin on the post. My stomach turns a little everytime I walk past the scene and is now as I type this.. Thankfully or luckily he didn't suffer any long term effects as I have seen him since the accident and he's fine and all healed..

 

As a cyclist myself and having given up my car I have since started wearing a helmet and I am on my second after hitting a sandbag from a roadworks sign which was lying on a dark road. I went over the handlebars and hit my head hard on the road and because I was wearing the helmet I suffered nothing more than grazed hands and a few aches and bruises for a couple of days. I now wear a cycling helmet, scooter or paddock jacket which has armoured shoulders, elbows and back and gloves.

 

It might seem to some overkill wearing a scooter jacket with all the armour but it's great for cycling. 100% waterproof and windproof and is quite light and it really cuts down on the wind resistance as it fits really well and is fairly sturdy allowing the wind to pass over it rather than catch it and blow me around. It also has 3M reflective bands and is grey and white in colour allowing me to be seen more effectively. My confidence on the road is improved and I feel a better and safer cyclist with wearing the helmet, jacket and gloves.

[andydd]

It all depends on where you are going and how confident you are and even how hot the weather is.

 

I do downhill mountain biking, and if I'm abroad in the Alps (Morzine, les Gets, etc) then 90% of the riders there are wearing full body armour, covering knees/shins, body, back, elbows and also gloves, full face helmet, googles and even a neck brace...now all of this would be considered a bit OTT for general trails riding in the uk..personally if going for a quick spin in the woods I'd wear my trails helmet and prob my D30 knee pads..(D30 is an amazing new invention, a thin flexible plastic that goes hard on impact).

 

Having said all that if I'm going for a quick ride along the seafront in the summer (remember that !?), Id prob just wear t-shirt n shorts, there is also evidence that drivers get closer to and take less care when overtaking a cyclist wearing a helmet.

 

Andy

[Followme]

I get a lot of cycling clubs where I live and they all behave correctly on the roads, however most people don't. Cycling over pedestrian crossings is so annoying I just want to run the buggers over. Then when they are on the road and get to a red light they switch to the pavement. If we done that in a car we'd get done. They need to stick to the rules of the road before we start protecting them. I used to cycle a few hundred miles a week before my health went against me and I was knocked off 3 times when doing thing right!!