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Table of Contents
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- Welcome
Welcome to nohelmetlaw.org.uk, a site which exists to promote one of the most controversial ideas in modern Britain: that cycling is a safe and healthy…
- Common viewpoints
These are some common viewpoints on helmet compulsion:
helmets should be compulsory for all cyclists
helmets should be compulsory for children
helmet s…
- Helmets should be compulsory for all cyclists
You clicked the link to say that you believe helmets should be compulsory for all cyclists. That's one extreme of the continuum of views, mainly held by…
- Helmets should be compulsory for children
You clicked the link to say that you believe helmets should be compulsory for children. That is the most common pro-compulsion view, and the focus of…
- Helmets should be strongly promoted
You clicked the link to say that you believe helmets should not be compulsory (thank you!) but should be strongly promoted. To be honest, if the helmet…
- Wearing a helmet sets a good example
A lot of people wear a helmet in order to "set a good example" to their children, other children they come in contact with, or maybe because someone (parent…
- Helmets improve safety
According to the former Road Safety Minister there is no known case where cyclist safety has improved with increasing helmet use.
That, at least, is…
- Not enough cyclists wear helmets
The idea that not enough cyclists wear helmets is an example of the logical fallacy called "begging the question". It relies on a number of assumptions:
Tha…
- Helmets are an irrelevance
Even this is not true. I believe that helmets are actually pretty good at preventing minor bumps and scrapes. Off-road, I would usually wear one. I am…
- Headline concepts
The headline concepts addressed by this site are:
Helmet design parameters
Is cycling really dangerous?
The hierarchy of safety
Do cycle helmets…
- Design parameters
The test to which cycle helmets are subjected - and which they often fail - are all basically similar. The helmet is attached to a headform (usually…
- Is cycling dangerous?
It goes without saying that a law compelling protective equipment can only be justified if the activity being regulated is actually dangerous. Is this the…
- The hierarchy of safety
The hierarchy of safety, as understood by risk management professionals, is more or less stated as:
Reduce risk at source
Reduce exposure to risk
Perso…
- Do helmets work?
This is probably the most widely asked question (after people become aware of the controversy), and one of the most difficult to answer.
It depends very…
- Have helmet laws worked elsewhere?
Some proponents of helmet laws like to claim that helmet laws are common and have worked in other countries. This is not quite true.
Do helmet laws work?
The…
- All the evidence says...
A recurrent theme in helmet promotion is that "all the evidence says that helmets reduce head injuries"
impossible to definitively quantify the effectiveness…
- Why helmet laws fail
Welcome to the tour of why helmet laws fail. You can either click starting off or you can go directly to the relevant section from the list below.
Before…
- Commentary
This is the area for commentary and related matters. Here you will find, ion particular, discussion of the rhetorical devices common in helmet debate.
- If you won't wear one....
If you won't wear a helmet, we'll make you wear one, goes the argument. Not "enough" cyclists wear a helmet so a law is needed to make them.
Well, it's…
- Why the anti-helmet zealotry?
I have been accused of being anti-helmet. This is self-evidently false (the pictures on my website show that), but it does invite the question of what my…
- A Tale Of Two Children
There are two ways of responding to tragedy: you can help, or you can use it to further your agenda. Compare and contrast the following:
Child A
Child A…
- False claims
There are many claims which are routinely made by helmet promoters, these are of varying accuracy and honesty. Some, such as the 85% claim, have been…
- Soundbytes
The helmet lobby uses soundbytes as a core part of its message. This is normal in politics, though of course much less so in scientific debate. The common…
- Cycling head injuries
Proponents of helmet compulsion are fond of quoting very large figures for the numbers, of children especially, head injured while riding. A bruised chin is a…
- Q&A
This is copied from a cycle trainer's posting on uk.rec.cycling, it's the results of a survey given to trainees on a cycling course:
Trainer
Trainees
…
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
This site exists because it has to. My view is that people should be free to choose, based on their own assessment of the evidence, their own cycling, their…
- Updates
No description found for this item.
- Actions
Here are some pages on actions you could take:
- Promote safe cycling
You want to promote safe cycling in your area. This is excellent news!
One way to help promote safe cycling - and cycling generally - is to join CTC, and…
- Join in
If you want to join in the campaign totell the world that cycling is a safe and healthy activity, here are some things you might do:
Go to cyclehelmets.org…
- Find out more
There are not many places where you can find both sides of the argument presented. At present I thing the best bet is to read plenty of sources, and make up…
- About nohelmetlaw
http://www.nohelmetlaw.org.uk is owned by Guy Chapman. It is a personal view on the issue of cycle helmet compulsion and receives no corporate funding.
Tra…
