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Do you have any citations for that? I'm not doubting you, but genuinely curious (and ambivalent about helmets). There seems to be a pervasive attitude in the US that if you're a cyclist hit by a car when you're not wearing a helmet, you're automatically at fault, because you're not being responsible. Which is weird, because the risk isn't coming from the bikes...and there's a good chance that it makes cycling seem more dangerous that it is, which
makes cycling more dangerous (by making safe cycling techniques more obscure, making it less likely that drivers know how cyclists are likely to behave, etc.). As a data point: I've been in two collisions in eight-ish years of cycling as my primary transportation (in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan). The first time resulted in a skinned knee and elbow, the second time a bad mood, a bent wheel, and a hurried (but passed) Islamic history exam. I don't think urban cycling is particularly risky, once you know what you're doing. I feel more in control cycling than when I'm driving on ice (physics!), and I've been driving here for a decade. (Fixed-gear bikes are particularly stable on ice, though.) |