Sir, – In a cycling career stretching back to 1958, I’ve fallen off many times, and landed on just about everything except my head. The knees of my trousers usually bore the brunt of these incidents, and now my only concession to safety is to ride wearing shorts.
Lately, I have noticed a worsening in the skill and care levels of car drivers, and a rise in the number of maniacal white vans, so I level no criticism at anyone who wishes additional protection, whatever form that may take.
For me, the issue is compulsion. Helmets are there for those who desire them, but please let’s not advocate giving up yet another of our freedoms. Heaven knows, we have few enough left. Next, people will be telling me I shouldn’t smoke while cycling. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Ailbe Ryan (January 24th) calls for mandatory helmet use by cyclists, adding that studies have shown wearing a helmet protects the head and reduces fatalities.
While such an assertion seems intuitive, and some studies may indeed support it, it is based on two assumptions. First, that commercially available helmets are of a sufficient standard to provide protection and second that wearing a helmet has no disadvantages. There is growing evidence that both of these assumptions are incorrect.
Independent research, not funded by helmet manufacturers, suggests that, at best, most commercially available helmets have little or no protective value at the impact levels required to incur significant damage to the head, while, at worst, the extra volume added to the head by a helmet may in many cases increase the level of injuries received.
As a keen reader of cycling magazines, I can attest that, if product reviews are anything to go by, helmet manufacturers concentrate on looks and weight when marketing their product. They rarely, if ever, make any claims regarding protective value.
On balance, in the absence of evidence proving that the benefits of mandatory helmet laws significantly outweigh the potential disadvantages, it would be more efficient to concentrate on both driver and rider behaviour, where I believe, far more significant gains could be made. – Yours, etc,