So there's some big controversy on the CBC right now about bike helmets. Apparently Toronto is going to begin a bike-share program and there's a concern that there's no accompanying 'helmet share' program. People have been weighing in for 2 days now about whether or not they think there should be a mandatory bike helmet law for people over 18.
Yesterday two people were on CBC - one supporting a law, the other not so much. To summarize, the first person said that he thinks it's unfair to expect tax money to go towards paying for treatment for head injuries when someone was silly and didn't wear a helmet. The second person said that she's seen statistics that say that if you aren't wearing a helmet, drivers are more likely to leave a large gap because they assume that you're a less experienced rider. She said that she rides confidently and that she chooses not to wear a helmet.
This morning on CBC, Matt Galloway played a recording of the listeners responses to this show. It was overwhelming how many people not only thought that there should be a mandatory bike helmet law for adults, but how many of them were willing to resort to discrediting the person who had spoken against this law, citing that she hadn't provided evidence of her findings (she had) or asking "what's her problem?" and calling her insane. It was quite vicious.
Know where I stand on this? Right in the middle. Should there be a law? No frickin' way. Is cycling safer when people wear helmets? Abso-goddamn-lutely.
The people on the radio this morning were arguing everything from "But you're going to get hurt!" to "How am I supposed to show my kids that helmets are good if no adults will wear them??" to "They're just like seatbelts, and those are required!" I'll start at the beginning.... Yes, people may get hurt if they don't wear a helmet. No, it's not my job to be a role model for your kids (if I wanted to be a role model for someone's kids I'd go have my own thankyouverymuch). Yes, they are kind of like seatbelts - my dad told me that he had a friend who was in a car accident and was trapped in his car by his seatbelt. Never wore one again. I think that should be his prerogative.
The thing that a lot of people seem to forget is that we're talking about adults here - people with enough life experience under their belts that they're assumed to be able to make their own decisions. Is it hurting anyone other than me if I don't wear a helmet on a bike? Nope. Well, not really. Unless you want to make the argument - like a couple of people did this morning - that it hurts tax payers who have to cover the cost of treatment for brain injuries. Those people should probably check their daily routines before making such stupid statements. Do you smoke? Drink? Walk up stairs without holding the rail? Drive above the speed limit? J-walk? Eat dairy, meat, processed or GMO foods? Tailgate? Use a cell phone? A cordless phone? Wireless internet? Listen to an ipod while crossing streets? Smoke in the car or in bed? Wear chemical make up? Wash your face with commercial soap? Use fluoride toothpaste? Aluminum deodorant? Should I go on? Although some of these things are illegal, people do them every day without a second thought to whether the tax payers are covering the damages. In the case of cell phones, cordless phones, wifi, smoking, drinking, chemical products and toxic food - the government sanctions your decision to do these things as an adult. In fact, for some of these things, the government will let you do them as a child. And all of these things have the potential to kill you. If we're going to suggest that everyone take the same precaution while riding a bike, maybe - like I've said so many freaking times - we should look to ourselves before pointing the finger at other people.
I'm taking the same stand on this as I do on abortion. If you want to wear a helmet on your bike, be my guest, but don't force me or anyone else to just because you think it's what's best for me. You're an adult and you're capable of making a choice. Respect that I'm an adult with the same capability. Definitely helmets are safer - definitely - but society doesn't suffer if individuals choose not to wear them. It would be impossible to outlaw everything that is unsafe, and it looks hypocritical to try to when so many things fly under the radar.
If you're worried about cyclists being killed, lobby for more driver awareness - people should probably be made aware of how awful and dangerous their driving is anyway. And why not lobby for bike lanes, or for cyclists to be allowed to ride on the sidewalk where the risk of being hit by a car is limited and the injury severity (a bike hitting a pedestrian vs. a car hitting a bike) is reduced? Make people aware of the risk taken when you don't wear a helmet, for sure, but don't implement a law that's going to stop people from using bike-share, and that'll make the old lady riding down the bike path quietly on a sunday afternoon sad. Because that's invasive.
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