For 6.5 billion people, this is an image of grace, beauty and style. For us, it’s a picture of a crime.
For 6.5 billion people, this is a choice they get to make every day. For us, its a $100 fine.
You don’t need laws to get mothers to look after their children, just like you don’t need laws to get people to act in their own self interest. If people feel the need to wear a helmet, they will. If not, they won’t.
The only thing helmet laws do is discourage cycling and prevent scenes like this one from happening in Australia and New Zealand. Support helmet freedom by writing to your state Transport Minister right now.
(photo via Mikael Colville-Andersen)
The letters page needs the Tassie addresses updated. Bartlett hasn’t been “the man” for quite a while now.
Also, not sure it helps the campaign to compare cycling risks to skin cancer risks as cycling is done outside in the sun. Just sayin’ is all 😉
Why are are these 2 countries so out of step with the rest of the world, afflicted by the helmet-industrial complex?
Because (for NZ anyway) a grieving mother visited just about every school in NZ in the early 1990’s, dragging around her paraplegic/brain-damaged son with her. She would stand up and tell the kids/teachers/parents “If you don’t wear a helmet this will happen to you”. Parents, teachers and critically lawmakers believed her, without a shred of evidence to back her claims. The fact that her son fell from his bicycle while stationary (he was clipped by a car while waiting to cross a road) was never disclosed at the time. And for the last two decades, despite no evidence of effectiveness and a plunging cycle rate the helmet myth has grown and become a reason for motorists to abuse and cut up cyclists (they are ‘safe’ with helmets on) and for councils/government to do nothing to further cycle safety (they are ‘safe’ with helmets on).
Oh dear, is that true?? That is so sad!