Should Cycle Helmets Be Made Compulsory?

[wrongsideof40]

You see, that just made you sound like a tool lol. In my opnion of course

dont think its just your opinion.

[MadManMike]

Look, you may want to wear one, but don't try and force it on people.

If you want to protect your head, go for it. If others don't, what's the problem?

Hardly affects you does it?

I mean yeah, make guns illegal, then there's less chance of me being shot.

[_Owen.]

I think it shouldnt be compulsary to wear a lid, because theres nothing better than watching your local chav's fall off and slap thier face on the floor

On a more serious note, i rekon it shouldnt be compulsory, if there is people out there who would prefur to die, then let them, i dont see the problem with it.

[BONGO]

Look, you may want to wear one, but don't try and force it on people.

If you want to protect your head, go for it. If others don't, what's the problem?

Hardly affects you does it?

I mean yeah, make guns illegal, then there's less chance of me being shot.

It affected me when i saw a Motorbike crash and ran to help to see the rider in a bad way. And he did have a lid on.

I'm not in favour of a compulsory rule, but i am just saying that it does affect others. If you're killed becasue you have no lid on, you think it affects nobody???? Think outside the box. Family, friends, people that deal with the whole incident etc etc.

Bongo

[MadManMike]

It affected me when i saw a Motorbike crash and ran to help to see the rider in a bad way. And he did have a lid on.

I'm not in favour of a compulsory rule, but i am just saying that it does affect others. If you're killed becasue you have no lid on, you think it affects nobody???? Think outside the box. Family, friends, people that deal with the whole incident etc etc.

Bongo

Yeah I know that, but I mean it's not like letting me carry a gun and firing it in your face.

Directly the impact is on my head. If I want to ride without one, I don't see any reason I should be forced into it.

Of course my family would be upset and everything, no doubt about that.

[wrongsideof40]

I think to be honest it will never become compulsory, it would be a nightmare to inforce with all the little 8-11 year old kids riding there bikes without helmets on. The kids will just be givinging the bill the runaround. Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory I can remember when that came in it was very much the same arguments about them as well, But it have saved a lot of lives which has had a knock on effect with organ donations for transplant there is a shortage so its swings and roundabouts. Wearing a cycle hemet should be compulsory if cycling the the road but I also think cycles on the road should have third party insurance aswell but there again that will never happen.

[Fish-Finger-er]

Wearing a cycle hemet should be compulsory if cycling the the road but I also think cycles on the road should have third party insurance aswell but there again that will never happen.

yea but to implement this youd need to either have to have reg plates/individual frame numbers/stick on bar codes for bikes,a government database for the police to use and a national ID system.

either that or have each person insured to ride a bike, in which case a national ID system would be needed, and if checks where to be made on this, either a national id card would have to be made compulsory to be carried at all times whilst on a bike.

[BenLeacock™]

I don't think they should be made compulsory, just maybe advised more to wear them. I would always wear my helmet going on trials bike or longer than like 2 miles. But for short rides for some reason i have the feeling im unbreakable, even though ive been knocked off bikes, fallen off alot . Actualy in a way i do think they should be compulsory, im confused

[Gavyn.]

There is no need for third party insurance because the other road user is given the option to take fully comp if they don't then it's there problem if there car is damaged by a cyclist because by law the cyclist will never be at fault.

[Fish-Finger-er]

also just realised, what would a sensible punishment be for not wearing one?

considering you dont need a license, points cant really be used

its a bit too minor to think of a prison sentence.

so fines is a simple answer. but what amount?

to the commuter £30/ £60 sounds reasonable. itd be a warning, but not enough to impact me severely enough that id stop riding my bike to work(if i did that was)

but to the bloke whos just come off benefits, travelling to his first job in 3 years, 10 days in, its a big amount of money.

likewise to all the kids getting caught everyday, there parents wont be payin up,specially if there council estate kids so to speak, there wouldnt be enough money there.

with driving the things like seatbelt fines and the like, are generally perfectly just, because unless theres bigger crimes going on(i.e ones which will require court time) in the same vehicle, youve got someone who can afford a car, tax and insurance, or the person driving will do, and its partially there responsibility to make sure there passengers are wearing a seatbelt.

but with a bike you can buy a bike for £5, and thats all you need. so to find £60 to pay a fine, is rather a lot if you can only just afford a bike

[Gavyn.]

nah on the spot fines from £5-30 quid depending on police officers descresion would be enough. we can't be to harsh it is after all only your own life thats at risk by not wearing a helmet.

[wrongsideof40]

There is no need for third party insurance because the other road user is given the option to take fully comp if they don't then it's there problem if there car is damaged by a cyclist because by law the cyclist will never be at fault.

I have had a wing mirror hit off my car by a cyclist whilst sat in traffic (what a bugger I said ) well words to that effect. So would your approch not require a moped or a motorcycle to be insured?. Also if for example if some whitesticked pedestrian got hit by a cyclist whilst crossing the road and it was proved the cyclist was in the wrong, speeding,against the flow of traffic or not giving way at a zebra crossing for just a few examples, how will the cyclist afford the court costs without insurance let alone the compo or would you just ride away if you were able to thinking its not my problem like the twat that hit my mirror off. If your using public roads then you should do everthing to protect yourself and others around you no matter what you are driving/riding.

A sensible punisment for not wearing a helmet would be cut there brake cables and dont tell them

[Krisboats]

I have had a wing mirror hit off my car by a cyclist whilst sat in traffic (what a bugger I said ) well words to that effect. So would your approch not require a moped or a motorcycle to be insured?. Also if for example if some whitesticked pedestrian got hit by a cyclist whilst crossing the road and it was proved the cyclist was in the wrong, speeding,against the flow of traffic or not giving way at a zebra crossing for just a few examples, how will the cyclist afford the court costs without insurance let alone the compo or would you just ride away if you were able to thinking its not my problem like the twat that hit my mirror off. If your using public roads then you should do everthing to protect yourself and others around you no matter what you are driving/riding.

A sensible punishment for not wearing a helmet would be cut there brake cables and dont tell them

Thats a very good point, and in this American-style, sue my parents for having the cheek to give birth to me kind of day we're living in i think its a case of a cyclist hitting anyone at all that will lead to financial repercussions.

[casualjoe]

the twat that hit my mirror off.

Uh, you wern't in Plymouth when that happened by any chance? that is the punishment I sometimes give to car drivers who dont pay due care and attention to cyclists. If you have good brakes/awareness/road sence and bounce in a relaxed manner when unintentionally dismounting your bike the chances of needing a helmet a greatly reduced. Id like helmets to be compulsory so I can be part of some more police chases. Soz for the dickhead(spicy) comments but I like to have serious fun.

[wrongsideof40]

Uh, you wern't in Plymouth when that happened by any chance? that is the punishment I sometimes give to car drivers who dont pay due care and attention to cyclists.

No I Wasnt, I would consider myself very bike aware car driver as my main mode of transport is a bike and if I did by somechance do something that upset the cyclist then I wasnt to know , the oppertunity was there to tell me what I had done ( If anything ), so lessons could be learnt. So the chap was a twat and not doing any favours for the cyclist.

[James Quigley]

Just to bump an old helmet thread (nothing to do with compulsary-ness). Wear your helmets!

Tank was today luckily (only playing on a 2' wall)

His bike hit is head, went through the helmet and still gave him a nasty whack.

Be cool, Wrap your tool!

[munkee]

i love you tank!

[Mark W]

A bike helmet reduces the impact by 85%;

In what circumstances, with an impact from which direction, wearing what helmet?

Regarding the original discussion: we need more people riding bikes, not less.

I think people also need to think about the purpose of laws, and what they're there for.

In the vast, vast majority of cases, laws are there to protect other people. You aren't allowed to murder people, because it affects other people. You aren't allowed to ride on the pavement, because it affects other people. You aren't allowed to assault people because it affects other people. You aren't allowed to do... and so on. Laws aren't there to infringe upon your own free will to do whatever you want to do, in your own chosen way, if you aren't affecting someone else*. By not wearing a helmet, although you can preach about "your family being affected when you get hideously mutilated" or whatever, it's YOU that's the person involved.

*That isn't a door for someone to pipe up with "Weed should be legal because when I smoke it I'm a far more interesting person" or whatever.

[Nick Garland]

I've recently got back from a snowboarding trip. I was going over a fairly sized table, about 10-12ft high and 25ft or so table to landing. I was trying a 180 nose grab, been pulling mutes and nose grabs fine all week as well as 180s, nearly nailed a 360 too. Anywho, as I can down the land the tip caught the top of the landing, I went flying head first into some fairly compacted snow, knocked myself out for about a minute or two and have damaged my neck and got a nice concussion. If that had happened on a gap or something it could have been a lot worse. I personally wear a helmet whenever I am doing anything extreme.

And to Onzaboy marks remark about not affecting other people, what if you cross the road without looking a car hits you and kills you, if the police say a helmet would have saved you then the driver would feel guilty and thus it would affect them. Whether it was their fault or not they know they hit someone and that's with them for the rest of their life.

I think they should be compulsory for the reason alone they do save your life or save you from injuries.

[Adam-Griffin]

With regards to what nick said about snowboarding, a boy that went to my school died last week ski-ing

[Radfax]

the other week i was sat with a very old man who was knocked off of his bike due to no fault of his own, he hit the floor like a sack of shit broke his nose, knocked his teeth out and put himself clean out loosing a DRASTIC amount of blood from his head. foolishly i moved him in a state of panic which meant i had to hold him with his head on my legs until an ambulance arrived. the poor man had literaly ripped half of his face off and was kept in hospital for a fair while and i think he may have had surgery aswell.

Now i am not saying this would have been completely ovoided if he was wearing a helmet but it would have been no where near as bad as it was!

ive also put myself into hospital with a fractured skull and spent a lot of time in a bed.

So please lads, i know a lot of you do and i dont want to sound like your preeching mothers but wear a lid!

Thanks, The Poggster

[Mark W]

And to Onzaboy marks remark about not affecting other people, what if you cross the road without looking a car hits you and kills you, if the police say a helmet would have saved you then the driver would feel guilty and thus it would affect them. Whether it was their fault or not they know they hit someone and that's with them for the rest of their life.

People walking across the road getting hit by cars affects drivers, but that doesn't mean they'll ban that. Crashing affects drivers too. You seem to have completely missed my point.

[1a2bcio8]

Pros and cons I guess. I could imagine that if they were made compulsory, ultimately they would become the norm and nobody wouldn't think differently of it, much like the situation of motorbikes, or wearing your seat belt in the car. Personally, people putting less risk to their health with regard to simply purchasing and wearing a helmet, seems desirable.

However, this represents another situation whereby people, and their ability to make decisions for themselves is again reduced. No-one can really say that they know better about something than somebody else with regards to right and wrongs. Right and wrong are ideas made up by individuals, as far as I can tell. In other words, they are inescapably personal. Really, those ideas just represent what people find desirable. Perhaps some people find not wearing a helmet desirable, just as you might find it undesirable. I'm more inclined to adopt a law that protects one person from another in a direct sense, such as violence but I'm a lot less inclined when it regards personal choices that are direct, only on the individual who makes them.

All, we are talking about here is how we want others to behave. Despite not wanting people to get hurt, I don't want to tell others how to be, I want people to develop and learn from their own experience, not be thoughtless individuals who just follow the law for what it threatens and this requires my allowing people to get on with their experience. This may hold some harsh lessons but without those lessons, i think we risk a much less desirable situation. Then again, maybe I'm making too much about where a general trend might lead?

I'm not sure why I always leave this sort of conversation until this time in the morning. It certainly makes concentration a bit more difficult. I hope what I said makes sense

And I haven't got the patience right now to read through all that's been said so excuse me if I have simply repeated other people :1eye:

Edited January 14, 2008 by rowly

[MadManMike]

I think we should all stay in fluffy houses so we don't get hurt.

Seriously, if someone wants to take a risk let them - I don't wear a helmet and I'm completely to blame if anything happens to myself.

[Dave Anscombe]

At the end of the day it dont matter if you dont look (COOL)

all that matters is it actually could save your god dam life

dont know about you lot but i quite enjoy living

so il always wear a lid:)

dave x