The simple fact is that bicycle helmets are not designed to withstand an auto collision. If you are relying on them to protect you in an auto collision, you're doing it wrong. Get a motorcycle helmet instead.
Yes, we should all armor up before leaving the house. Or maybe just get rid of the thousand-pound blocks of steel and plastic hurtling around, barely controlled, in close vicinity to our mushy bodies.
> I also approve of protected bike lanes. [Putting bikers on sidewalks is stupid]
Do both. Have a bike lane on the side walk, with some separation provided by rails near crossings, or trees and such on longer stretches. Consider this for example:
There are many small details that that keep the bikers away from the pedestrians, but it also serves the bikers (and the car drivers) by putting the curb between the two.
It takes a little to get used to the sidewalks/bikers in Germany. It also takes a bit to get used to trusting them.
Unfortunately in the US: Bikers don't have a lot of regulations, requirements, and their behavior is poorly enforced. (No bell, they have the legal ability to go through red lights under safe conditions [but it's taken as we can skip red lights because of lazyness])
In the state of Illinois it is illegal for a person over 13 to ride their bike on the sidewalk. There aren't even the markings for bike lanes on the sidewalk. However people still do, the ones who do still believe that they're in the right. (Although.. doing that in downtown Chicago during tourist season makes me feel that tasing them for doing should be legal)
Hey i ride without bell too. On the other hand, i don't mind staying at walking speed and taking it slowly if there's some congestion up ahead. I find bell users to be insufferable dicks at most times.
> they have the legal ability to go through red lights under safe conditions
Everytime bicycles come up on HN i learn some new insanity about the USA. Do you have a link to the legistlation for that?
From my point of view, NEITHER of these three people are fit to participate in civilized society. Especially not the cop who tells the lady to shut up because she might get shot by someone.
> Yes, we should all armor up before leaving the house. Or maybe just get rid of the thousand-pound blocks of steel and plastic hurtling around, barely controlled, in close vicinity to our mushy bodies.
I would love a world where we—well, maybe not got rid of cars, but at least changed our cities so that they were not the dominant and motivating force; but between accomplishing that, and wearing as much protection as possible, I know that there's only one that I can do today (or, I suspect, in my lifetime).
Yes, and in the same legislation, let's also require licenses and helmets for pedestrians, because they annoy me far more than cyclists. Also, fatality rates for helmeted pedestrians are higher than fatality rates for helmeted cyclists in some studies.