Ontario Helmet Law being pushed through

The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
now.

http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Stor...4-009/page.asp

My favourite part:

"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

--
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its
victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under
robber-barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber-
baron's cruelty may at some point be satiated; but those who
torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they
do so with the approval of their own conscience."

- C.S. Lewis

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
wrote in message
:

"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

Amazing, isn't it, how people read what they want to read into the
statement "Helmets cannot always protect against injury. Even a very
low speed impact can result in serious injury or death. Any helmet
subjected to a sever impact should be discarded and destroyed, even
though damage may not be outwardly visible. Since this helmet is made
of polystyrene foam, there is a chance it may be penetrated by sharp
objects" (instructions from a Bell helmet)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B.
wrote:

The law would apply to people who skateboard, ride scooters or in-line
skate. Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
now.

Oops, I was mistaken. This law will apply to cyclists of all ages as
well.

http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Stor...4-009/page.asp

My favourite part:

"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
accident in 1998. “There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
them and I want to shake them,” he reflects. “I want to tell them that
this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 17:28:26 -0500, Chris B. wrote:

Apparently they have decided to leave adult cyclists alone for
now.

Helmet laws do nothing to stop people from riding like idiots.

Ticketing irresponsible riders might...

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 16:00:24 GMT, maxo wrote:

Helmet laws do nothing to stop people from riding like idiots.

They do! They do!

Oh, riding /like idiots/. As you were then.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 16:10:06 +0000, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Helmet laws do nothing to stop people from riding like idiots.

They do! They do!

I just think this is an absurd way to go about public safety. I'm no more
against helmets than seatbelts and airbags...but address the cause--why
are bikes & riders hitting the pavement--not the symptom--purple owies.

I've lived in places in the world where people are much more bike
savvy than in the US and Canada and follow the rules of the road
better--they don't seem to wear a lot of helmets, though they're catching
on for kids, but they don't seem to fall down as much either.

maxo :

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 16:10:06 +0000, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Helmet laws do nothing to stop people from riding like idiots.

They do! They do!

I just think this is an absurd way to go about public safety. I'm no more
against helmets than seatbelts and airbags. [...]

You're of course free to have an opiinion on everything, but this is
somewhat misleading. There is a difference. Seatbelts work. So do
airbags, to a much lesser extend and only when combined with a properly
worn belts. Bicycle helmets, on the other hand, have been shown _not_ to
work.


--
Radhelme sind die Bachblüten des Straßenverkehrs

Wolfgang Strobl writes:

maxo :

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 16:10:06 +0000, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

Helmet laws do nothing to stop people from riding like idiots.

They do! They do!

I just think this is an absurd way to go about public safety. I'm no more
against helmets than seatbelts and airbags. [...]

You're of course free to have an opiinion on everything, but this is
somewhat misleading. There is a difference. Seatbelts work. So do
airbags, to a much lesser extend and only when combined with a properly
worn belts. Bicycle helmets, on the other hand, have been shown _not_ to
work.

Wolfgang is back, repeating the same things he's said for years.

--
My real name backwards: nemuaZ lliB

Chris B. quoted someone thusly
in message . ..

"That includes N.D.P. MPP Michael Prue, who lost his brother to a bike
accident in 1998. ?There isn't a day goes by that I don't see someone
on the streets of Toronto, an adult, with no helmet on their head, and
I want to get out of my car or off the sidewalk and I want to grab
them and I want to shake them,? he reflects. ?I want to tell them that
this was an absolutely wrong thing, a bad thing to happen."

Oh dear! Shaking them? MPP Prue really should read up on rotational
injuries that are not prevented --- and may be exacerbated -- by
wearing a helmet.

Peter Storey

According to Canadian Cyclist
http://www.canadiancyclist.com/daily...2.39PM17.shtml
it has been sent to committee for study.

It would seem to me that some benefit might be obtained by targeting the
members of this committee. Does anybody know the correct procedure
for such communication.

Another case of politicians making decisions with bad information and
once this happens laws may be modified but never repealed as that would
cause loss of face for the originators of such poorly considered statutes.

Since CPSC bicycle helmets are designed for low speed, low energy
impacts and more head injuries occur from slipping in the bathtub or
shower than bicycling perhaps as an alternative mandating the use in
that environment would make far more sense. ;^)

Marcus Coles