Helmet Wearing For Drivers And Bicyclists

I think I have made it clear many times on this blog why asking the question 'Shouldn't automobile drivers also wear helmets?" should not be an excuse for not wearing a helmet while cycling. It is naive and a little silly. Its like saying ..."I'm not doing this because my big sister Molly isn't going to either. Period" . And it seems to me as if authors from other blogs do not appreciate a car for what it is, and how it is different from a bicycle.

If car drivers were to wear helmets, it is likely that one or more of the following may happen :

1. It could affect visibility of the road.

2. The helmet could hit the inner ceiling of the car when worn by the driver so it maybe necessary to adapt existing car design to a helmeted rider, an exercise which could cost into the thousands for any manufacturer. For the same reasons, a helmeted driver would find it more difficult to turn his head and look over his shoulder before changing lanes.

3. Getting pulled over by a cop if he believes you wore the helmet to actually drive faster. For the same reasons, what are the chances that actually wearing a helmet in your country, state, or city hasn't been deemed illegal by law enforcement? Have you checked into this?

My point is that if wearing a helmet in a car leads to more safety hazards than not wearing one, isn't it a little counter-productive?

Comparing a modern car with its sophisticated control, comfort and safety features to a bicycle is like comparing apples and oranges. They're two different breeds. As it is, a car driver has plenty to expect in terms of safety. He has a seat belt, a considerable portion of metal, leather, polymer and plastic around him, he has airbags, he even has an intelligent control system on his car to monitor all this for him (rear view monitoring, inter-vehicle distance monitoring, cruise control, anti-lock brakes are just a few of the advances we have made in terms of crashworthiness). An automobile is constantly evolving in terms of electro-mechanical design to prevent car crashes. For example, just look at what the Japanese have done over the years.

What does the bicycle have in terms of safety?

Not much.

Think about that for a minute.

In fact, you can only design a bicycle to such a degree that it is stable at all speeds (no shimmy), rides comfortably, corners well, puts the rider at an appropriate center of gravity and affords proper weight distribution between the two wheels to aid in braking. Riding a bicycle at 30mph with modern performance cycling clothes and then falling off it is like stripping down to nothing in a car and deliberately jumping out of it. Think about that for a minute also.

Another important point is that a car has four wheels. It is inherently stable. But a bicycle has two wheels and is a single track vehicle which is statically unstable . You cannot ride a bicycle unless you propel it upto a certain weave speed. Otherwise, you will certainly fall sideways, tumble, and take a hit. That hit could be on your head.

This is the problem faced by beginning bicycle riders. They aren't willing to ride fast to gain that stability advantage, neither do they have the skill to ride slow and use lean and other body movements to balance themselves. When they fall, they either have to quickly (like clockwork) learn to free themselves from the bicycle or fall in such a fashion such that they avoid landing on their heads. In most cases, beginning riders can't do this. Moreover, at high speeds, any rider irrespective of experience cannot do this any better mainly due to how fast things happen. Have you ever crashed at 40 mph going downhill? You'll certainly appreciate this more then. See, the human body can only react so fast.

Should bicyclists wear helmets? It is advisable. Should they be forced to? No. Should car drivers be forced to wear helmets so that cyclists could be comforted that they're not alone in doing so? If car drivers don't do so, should cyclists make that an excuse for not doing the right thing themselves? No. I think it is a silly and purposeless exercise. But as we have it, people will bring up more and more excuses to not do something that is for their own safety and the convenience of others in society. When they are miserable, they poke their nose into other people's business, complaining and giving them a hard time as well. I think humans come built-in with this fundamental flaw. It is too hard to fight. As cyclists, is it any wonder why we share this love-hate relationship with motorists?

Live and let live, people.


P.S : In spite of my discussion above on the automobile, I'm proud to be a cyclist. I've never owned a vehicle and boy, it feels good. Have a good weekend!


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES :


Statisculation And Sporting Prejudice In Anti-Helmet Propaganda
History : John Paul Stapp, Pioneer In Airplane and Automobile Safety (Thanks to Alloycowboy)
New Safety Features To Prevent Car Crashes
History of Automobile Safety Design
Automobile Crashworthiness
Inter-vehicle Communications May Save Lives
How Rear-View Cameras Work
How Anti-Lock Brakes Work
Airbags and Seatbelts Important In Preventing Spine Fractures

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