BBC claim not wearing a helmet is illegal

'Need a name?
Google 'Jocelyn Lovell'.
And no, he didn't have a fall in his kitchen'

I knew Joce Lovell, he got run down from behind by a truck and broke his neck. No helmet would have prevented his injuries, in fact, a helmet would have probably exacerbated the injuries.

If you actually read the design specifications for cycle helmets, you will find that they are designed to reduce injury in 'single vehicle accidents at speeds below 16kph'. In an accident involving a motor vehicle they are worse than useless.

TheHatter wrote:

Skippy doesn't oz also has the highest obesity rate?... maybe not enough people cycling?... maybe cos they have to wear helmets?

ah the ol' fat Aussies chestnut.. as far as I can find out the OECD stats show -

Aussie adults with a BMI above 30 is 21.7%
UK adults with BMI above 30 is 24%
http://stats.oecd.org/health/

Perhaps TheHatter spends too much time reading the Daily Mail.

Lets have a look at some of the other stats on the OECD site...

Life Expectancy -
Australia is ranked 3rd
UK is ranked 18th
http://stats.oecd.org/health/

How about heart disease?
Australia 110.9 deaths per 100,000 people
UK 122 deaths per 100,000 people
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_hea_dis_dea-health-heart-disease-d...

And before you bring out the nonsense stats from the cyclehelmets.org and their 'selective' use of data and falsified stats to show drops in cycling numbers, lets look at at cycling patterns in Perth WA (as it is touted as an example of how cycling helmet laws caused a drop in cycling).
The Department of Transport data (an edited 'version' of which is used on cyclehelmets.org) on cycling numbers since 1998 shows a 450% INCREASE in the number of cyclists.
http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/cycling/20051.asp

Of course the Department's data collection methods and full stats are available on that site, unlike cyclehelmets.org's 'dead' links and 'edited' excel spreadsheets supposedly from the Department of Transport.

I suggest your cause finds another country from which you can manipulate data in the future...

Yeah right its so hot you can't see where your going. Your head is boiling hot so that really focus and that is in winter. maybe we should give up when it gets to hot or we start to think we can take greater risks because we wear a helmet. The old Volvo syndrome. Helmets can help but they can also hinder. What about the guy that was paralised in a crash where the helmet is given as the cause of the injury. I have a motorbike license and well as a car. if everybody was given proper training and it had to be updated and we were more visible and the roads were made safer for cyclists this would be better. Helmets seem in many peoples thinking to the the only panacea to all cycling injuries. Yes helmets help some people but not all. It is a matter of personal choice. I have never worn a helmet and will most likely never will. I am more aware of the road much more aware than if I wore a helmet. My bike training has helped assess the road, stationary objects and possible dangers around. Its a personal choice.