Helmets are compulsory

But it was a close thing.

At a governors' meeting last term the school governors agreed a cycle
training policy where cycle helmet were subject to parental choice,
but they insisted that the matter be reviewed in a governors' meeting
before the end of term.

After much debate, mostly avoiding the subject of the effectiveness or
otherwise of helmets, instead dealing with the responsibility of the
school, and the rights of the parent to make decisions about the
safety of their child, and the matter of informed choice, the question
was put to a vote. Do you want cycle helmets to be compulsory for
cycle training or do you want the choice to be left to an agreement
negotiated between parent and child with the parent informing the
school of their decision?

The vote was a 5 - 5 split.

In such cases the decision rests with the chair of governors, who
after voting for parental choice, switched sides saying that with such
a tight vote he'd prefer a 6 - 4 vote to decide the matter.

Helmet use is compulsory for school cycle training.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:02:04 +0100, Tilly wrote:

But it was a close thing.

At a governors' meeting last term the school governors agreed a cycle
training policy where cycle helmet were subject to parental choice,
but they insisted that the matter be reviewed in a governors' meeting
before the end of term.

After much debate, mostly avoiding the subject of the effectiveness or
otherwise of helmets, instead dealing with the responsibility of the
school, and the rights of the parent to make decisions about the
safety of their child, and the matter of informed choice, the question
was put to a vote. Do you want cycle helmets to be compulsory for
cycle training or do you want the choice to be left to an agreement
negotiated between parent and child with the parent informing the
school of their decision?

The vote was a 5 - 5 split.

In such cases the decision rests with the chair of governors, who
after voting for parental choice, switched sides saying that with such
a tight vote he'd prefer a 6 - 4 vote to decide the matter.

Helmet use is compulsory for school cycle training.

Write to the school and tell them that if your child is injured and there is any
evidence that the extra weight of a helmet could have worsened the injury, you
will be certain to take any and evey legal recourse available to you. And that
you will be advising any other parent who finds themselves in that position to
do likewise.

Point out to them that if they put the facts before the parents of children
undergoing cycle training so that they can come to an informed decision, they
are pretty much watertight, but if they wish to dictate matters that are really
none of their business, then they must be prepared to take any consequences.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:48:13 GMT, (Steven)
wrote:

snip
Helmet use is compulsory for school cycle training.

Write to the school and tell them that if your child is injured and there is any
evidence that the extra weight of a helmet could have worsened the injury, you
will be certain to take any and evey legal recourse available to you. And that
you will be advising any other parent who finds themselves in that position to
do likewise.

Point out to them that if they put the facts before the parents of children
undergoing cycle training so that they can come to an informed decision, they
are pretty much watertight, but if they wish to dictate matters that are really
none of their business, then they must be prepared to take any consequences.

Is there a summary somewhere of the arguments for and against helmet
use? I'd not realised that there was an issue about it, but clearly
there is. I'd like to read up on it.

Thanks for any pointers.


Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

Peewiglet wrote:
snip

Is there a summary somewhere of the arguments for and against helmet
use? I'd not realised that there was an issue about it, but clearly
there is. I'd like to read up on it.


Light blue touch paper, stand well back.

Here is a starting point :

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/

Pete

Peewiglet writes:

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:48:13 GMT, (Steven)
wrote:

snip
Helmet use is compulsory for school cycle training.

Write to the school and tell them that if your child is injured and there is any
evidence that the extra weight of a helmet could have worsened the injury, you
will be certain to take any and evey legal recourse available to you. And that
you will be advising any other parent who finds themselves in that position to
do likewise.

Point out to them that if they put the facts before the parents of children
undergoing cycle training so that they can come to an informed decision, they
are pretty much watertight, but if they wish to dictate matters that are really
none of their business, then they must be prepared to take any consequences.

Is there a summary somewhere of the arguments for and against helmet
use? I'd not realised that there was an issue about it, but clearly
there is. I'd like to read up on it.

http://www.cyclehelmets.org/

Chris
--
Chris Eilbeck

"Ningi" wrote in message
. uk...
Peewiglet wrote:
snip

Is there a summary somewhere of the arguments for and against helmet
use? I'd not realised that there was an issue about it, but clearly
there is. I'd like to read up on it.


Light blue touch paper, stand well back.

Exactly.

Peewiglet wrote:

Is there a summary somewhere of the arguments for and against helmet
use? I'd not realised that there was an issue about it, but clearly
there is. I'd like to read up on it.

Thanks for any pointers.

A good summary is the view of Cycling Scotland, the national body
charged with propmoting cycling.
http://www.cyclingscotland.org/downl...p?DLsection=11

...d

On 06/29/2005 22:48:13 (Steven) wrote:

On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:02:04 +0100, Tilly
wrote:


Helmet use is compulsory for school cycle training.

Write to the school and tell them that if your child is injured and there
is any evidence that the extra weight of a helmet could have worsened the
injury, you will be certain to take any and evey legal recourse available
to you. And that you will be advising any other parent who finds
themselves in that position to do likewise.

Not to throw a damp towel on your little crusade, but this will likely result in the cycle training scheme being abandoned.


--

Buck

I would rather be out on my Catrike

http://www.catrike.co.uk

"Steven" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:02:04 +0100, Tilly

Write to the school and tell them that if your child is injured and there
is any
evidence that the extra weight of a helmet could have worsened the injury,
you
will be certain to take any and evey legal recourse available to you. And
that
you will be advising any other parent who finds themselves in that
position to
do likewise.


This is silly. The School have a policy and have made it clear. Knowing this
policy it is your decision to send or not send your child to cycle training.
It is precisely this sort of litigious approach that forces Schools to
introduce helmet compulsion.

Point out to them that if they put the facts before the parents of
children
undergoing cycle training so that they can come to an informed decision,
they
are pretty much watertight, but if they wish to dictate matters that are
really
none of their business, then they must be prepared to take any
consequences.


Watertight? you live in a fantasy world. As I said above it is people like
you that force Schools to introduce helmet compulsion in order to protect
themselves from prosecution.

At Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:01:53 GMT, message
was posted by Buck
, including some, all or none of the
following:

Not to throw a damp towel on your little crusade, but this will likely
result in the cycle training scheme being abandoned.

And your evidence for that is.... ?

Oh, and please fix your line lengths.


Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken