Why “If you don’t wear your bike helmet, you’re a bloody idiot”

Hey Mum, I busted another one

 

 

I don't like wearing my helmet all of the time but having destroyed a few when my head came in contact with the road, I can personally testify to their value at least in my case.

I was too young to remember the debates that raged over mandatory seatbelt use or the wearing of motorcycle helmets but I do know that I use both without giving it a second thought. Bicycle helmets in Melbourne make sense in most cases. Sure, you can argue that you shouldn't need to wear one for a quick trip to the milkbar etc. But we don't hesitate to put our seatbelt on in the car for the same trip (that we should be using a bike for anyway).

We simply don't have the separation nor respect between cars and cyclists that contribute to safety for cyclists. We are not the Netherlands, nor many other European countries that were never designed with cars in mind and for which bicycles, are far more practical given the short distances and narrow streets.

Short trips and cities made for people, not cars, make cycling easier to fit to the urban landscape than in Melbourne.

 

A friend of mine sent me this link to an online article “Bike helmets: an emergency doctor's perspective”. Common sense is ahead of science but as the article points out, that's what happened with the link between smoking and lung cancer.

Melbourne is a car city. Simple. Cars rule, cyclists don't and need to take extra steps to ensure that they minimise risks. If wearing a chunk of foam and plastic on your head does that, so be it. I like my brain, we're kind of attached and I'd like to keep it that way.

If you don't wear a helmet in Melbourne, you're a bloody idiot.

 

 

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Melburn Roobaix 2013 “Saddle Up!”

I can't count the number of times I wanted to turn the car around today and head home, away from the maddening inner city traffic. The lure of abbottsford's Grosvenor St proved to strong. Al and I parked the car short of our destination in shear frustration. It was great to walk, to move freely in any direction you chose to go. The distant perfume of roasted coffee beans guided us in. Supreme coffee once again provided the venue, Fyxo the organisation and cyclists, the colour and vibe. Registration completed, we were rewarded with a coffee and Al's all time favorite treat, a Reese's Peanut Butter cup. He thought all his Christmases had come at once. Perhaps a fine omen for the big day. Now for the hard part, what to ride and what to wear?

 

 

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