American (?) daemon in Australia. Take him back!

On 8/5/2016 9:25 PM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

I was one of the original board members of our fear-mongering BTA, and we opposed an MHL, and I still don't think one is necessary. So go make your case, but if you lose, its not armageddon.

As for what the photos "pretend" to show, those are typical photos, and actually the percentage wearing helmets is higher on the west side. You get a lower rate on the east side, and downtown I see plenty of the bag dress and Birkenstock set wandering around, helmetless, on their old Varsities, the cycling cap fixie set and the DUII crowd -- and those who just don't want to wear a helmet. We all live together in harmony -- ebony and ivory.

When opposing an MHL, proposed by fear-mongers, you have to find a way
to counter the testimony of ER physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other
well-respected, and well-meaning groups, since they will bury you with
anecdotal, empirical, and statistical evidence, and the cost to society.
They basically believe that any level of risk that can be reduced,
should be reduced, and that it's government's responsibility to mandate
this risk reduction. In countries with government sponsored health care
there's another incentive for MHLs.

On automobiles we ended up with large amounts of safety equipment to
reduce the risk of crashes, and to reduce injuries in the event of a
crash, and now they think that this should be extended to bicycles. Soon
we'll have TPMS on bicycle tires (it can already be done), ABS to
prevent front wheel lockup (I've already seen such systems), and maybe
an airbag contained in the stem. But this is all equipment that would be
provided by the manufacturer, so it's not the same as mandating
protection worn on the driver's or rider's body.

I like the idea of leveraging the bike share issue as a reason to not
implement MHLs.

What was done for MHLs for motorcycles in at least one state, was to
eliminate the helmet requirement but only if the rider had proof of
medical insurance. On the surface this sounds reasonable, but how far do
you take this? Only allow people with medical insurance to eat unhealthy
foods?

The wrong way to fight MHLs is to fabricate stories about how MHLs
reduce cycling levels (something that has never shown to be true), and
to claim that these non-existent reductions in cycling will have
negative side effects. Don't think that those making the decisions on
these laws are stupid enough to believe that kind of nonsense.

On 8/5/2016 9:25 PM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

I was one of the original board members of our fear-mongering BTA, and we opposed an MHL, and I still don't think one is necessary. So go make your case, but if you lose, its not armageddon.

As for what the photos "pretend" to show, those are typical photos, and actually the percentage wearing helmets is higher on the west side. You get a lower rate on the east side, and downtown I see plenty of the bag dress and Birkenstock set wandering around, helmetless, on their old Varsities, the cycling cap fixie set and the DUII crowd -- and those who just don't want to wear a helmet. We all live together in harmony -- ebony and ivory.

-- Jay Beattie.

What should be done is to develop a smart phone app that records the
rider, that decides to ride helmetless, consent to the risk of that
behavior after answering a series of questions. There are already apps
that record the consent to have sex after answering a series of
questions. "What type of protection are you using?" "Do you understand
the risks?" A video of the consent is stored for seven years.

On 8/6/2016 11:37 AM, sms wrote:


What should be done is to develop a smart phone app that records the
rider, that decides to ride helmetless, consent to the risk of that
behavior after answering a series of questions.

Do you propose such an app be used only by bicyclists, who comprise 0.6%
of America's brain injury deaths?

It seems it would be much more productive to promote it for the other
99.4%...

.... but I guess that doesn't sync with the "Bicycling is dangerous!!!" meme.


--
- Frank Krygowski