The vast majority of parents think helmets should be compulsory on the road, according to a survey by the children’s bike manufacturer Frog timed to coincide with National Bike Week.
In the poll of more than 1,000 people, it turned out safety concerns were paramount for those with children riding, with 85 per cent backing mandatory helmets and 74 per cent saying they would pay to ensure the children took a cycling proficiency test.
But that’s not putting parents off, with only one in five (22 per cent) saying the roads were too dangerous to allow their child to cycle more often.
However it does seem that kids’ bikes need a tune up more often than they currently receive with only a quarter (24 per cent) having an annual MOT and safety check.
Frog Bikes Technical Manger Stephen Johnson said: “Just like an adult bike a child’s bike is not just a toy and also needs to be inspected and serviced by a qualified mechanic at least once a year, all the moving parts such as cables, bearings, brake pads, chain and tyres over a period of time will start to wear and if not attended to could become unsafe and in extreme cases dangerous to ride.
“A basic service/ inspection at a reputable bike store is not expensive and would give you peace of mind knowing your child is safe, as well as keeping up the bikes second hand value.”
There is no fear about the new generation of cyclists according to the study, with over 99 per cent of parents still believe learning to cycle is important.
71 per cent of parents felt their children should cycle more than they currently do but lack of time was cited by 38 per cent of respondents. A quarter of respondents said they do cycle at least three times a week however.
43 thoughts on “Most parents would support a mandatory helmet law for children, claims surge – safety concerns are paramount”
The vast majority of parents
The vast majority of parents questioned didn’t know their arse from their elbow regarding helmet compulsion. Probably too busy using their mobile while driving.
99% might believe that it’s good to learn to ride but many drivers feel cyclists should keep off their roads, they are for cars. Fear of traffic is the number 1 reason why 95% of kids are ferried to school (and everywhere else) in cars.
If you charge for Bikeability you’ll get even lower uptake than now, when it’s free.
It’s bollocks, the level of hypocrisy is stunning. :O
Simon E wrote:
If you charge
Excellent point.
I remember when i was growing
I remember when i was growing up and we all rode bikes and didnt wear helmets.
The streets were littered with dead or dying children who had fallen off their bikes. It was carnage.
Its the same when you go to the continent where, despite the British knowing best with regards helmets, almost no-one seems to follow our lead and consequently the segregated bike paths are lined with dead, helmetless people.
This slaughter must stop and mandatory helmet laws are the only answer.
This parent doesn’t want
This parent doesn’t want mandatory helmet law. This parent is moving her kids to the Netherlands where we can cycle to our hearts content without wearing one.
I’ve been over to find a place to live and within a week of being back iin the UK I’m having arguments with police as to why they don’t think cars ignoring the highway code should get a talking to at the very least. The police couldn’t see a danger to other users, as in drivers, completely oblivious to the school kids on foot trying to cross a busy junction littered with parked cars who weren’t technically breaking the law because there were no lines on the road.
The highway code says they are wrong but the highway code isn’t law. Helmets wont protect kids walking across the road or young cyclists who are trying to turn right with their view obscured by selfishly parked cars. Junctions with cycle provision will, banning all street parking in towns unless it’s in an officially marked parking space will.
The idea that helmets will protect children from the lawlessness and complete ignorance of the police and the general poor standard of driving here, is horrible and tragic.
I’ve been forced to leave my my own country because I don’t want to drive a car and being made to wear a helmet is just one more insult on top of the rest. I’ve had enough, the car is not more important than people whatever the police seem to think.
I don’t need a helmet, I need a country that gives a damn about cyclists.
Most parents will cling to
Most parents will cling to any illusory safety simply to feel better about their anxiety re their kids… So of course they would.
Or they could just buy their kids a helmet…
mandatory helmets? I’ll bet
mandatory helmets? I’ll bet that survey question was a leading one as well designed to get the answer they wanted…
“But that’s not putting
“But that’s not putting parents off, with only one in five (22 per cent) saying the roads were too dangerous to allow their child to cycle more often.”
a little surprising and I hate to be negative but as far as I can see looking at the Frog website the 1000 respondents would be Frog customers which would make them more interested in cycling than many parents and possibly a little more aware of the dangers of riding in traffic and how to deal with it or live in an area where cycling isn’t an unusual way of getting around
live in Melbourne Aus’ with compulsory helmets even for kids on scooters – I ride to school with my younger daughter and the dangers are cars and trucks too close and too fast because the drivers aren’t looking beyond the vehicle very close in front and drivers simply not observing you at junctions – helmets only mitigate the injuries in some collisions or falls – they don’t make riding any safer
making helmets compulsory won’t move kids out of cars – here’s a survey (one class in a 600 pupil school but representative) and we have manned crossings and some car free cyclepaths
What a load of
What a load of rubbish.
“Parents want mandatory helmet law (says seller of bike helmets).”
As a parent I don’t want a helmet law, but I definitely DO want safer streets, and fewer cars (especially driving down the pavements outside my daughter’s school).
So I won’t be buying a frog bike any time soon then.
I was considering Frog as an
I was considering Frog as an option for my 7 year old’s next bike. Currently we’re the proud owners of an Islabike for the kids.
Frog have just crossed themselves firmly off the list for wantonly straddling the Bike Danger highwheeler.
So, thanks for that, it simplifies my choices greatly and removes any temptation to be unfaithful to a brand that started the decent bikes for kids niche.
if these parents who want a
if these parents who want a helmet law are unable to make their children wear one without legislation effecting the whole country they’ll also soon be after laws forcing everyone to go to bed by 8 on a school night, not have sweets before meals and no playing video games before they’ve done their homework.
Parents concerned about
Parents concerned about children’s safety & want them to wear helmets
But…
Can’t be arsed to make sure bikes are correctly maintained. Use to do Dr bike sessions & most kids bikes were only ever checked then.
Can’t be arsed to ensure children have lights at night. Most unlit people on bikes I see are kids
Can’t be arsed to drive at or below the speed limit.
Can’t be arsed to give plenty of time and space when overtaking children cycling
Before you start sharpening
Before you start sharpening your pitchforks and marching on Frog HQ because they asked a question whose answer you object to, you may wish to re-read the article. They aren’t endorsing the opinion but given the response this debate generates it’s a bit foolish using it as click bait.
Several people also seem to be building a straw man argument that because a parent wants their child to wear a helmet that they do not also want better infrastructure, driver behaviour and enforcement. That’s just nonsense.
Both Frog and Isla bikes sell kids helmets through their websites by the way. Neither of them make any recommendation on whether or not they should be worn though.
Saw a guy trying to teach his
Saw a guy trying to teach his kids to ride bikes in the park last weekend. Bikes they were using appeared to be his bmx’s, rather than actual kid’s bikes. He was berating his son for not using his brakes and nearly crashing into someone walking their dog, making sarcastic comments about what the brake lever was for. It was only as the boy rode past me later on i noticed that one of the brakes was missing a cable. I nearly went and had a word, but British reservedness stopped me. I’ve regretted it since.
“A basic service/ inspection
“A basic service/ inspection at a reputable bike store is not expensive and would give you peace of mind knowing your child is safe, as well as keeping up the bikes second hand value.”
Or, you can learn the basics of cycle mechanics yourself, and get in the habit of keeping an eye (and ear) out for problems before they arise. Bikes are fundamentally very simple – that’s a big part of the appeal.
I find it very amusing that
I find it very amusing that so many people get so wound up over such a simple thing as a piece of polystyrene painted a nice colour.
It seems that at the moment virtually evey article put on the forum literally gets slagged off and ends up in an arguement between posters, its quite sad really. Just look at this one, it started off about a company simply putting out a result of a small survey they carried out and within 7 posts it had become a slag off of infrastructure, cars and police and not forgetting the holier than thou “highway code”.
stumps wrote:I find it very
The ‘holier than thou’ highway code? If you don’t like the highway code, by what secret protocols do policemen and other advanced motorists drive?
oldstrath wrote:stumps
The ‘holier than thou’ highway code? If you don’t like the highway code, by what secret protocols do policemen and other advanced motorists drive?— stumps
Oh, that Holier-than-thou highway code! It really winds me up. What does it think it is, with its ‘shoulds’ and its ‘musts’! Parading around with its nose in the air, acting like its better than the rest of us!
It should mind its own business like other more unassuming codes that know their place. You don’t catch Morse or Enigma, or even Da Vinci, telling people what to do!
stumps wrote:I find it very
OMG – you not actually suggesting people should try to be reasonable with each other and at least try to see the others point of view and not make vile insensitive remarks about them just because, in their life experience, they have reached a different conclusion based upon what they have had happen in their own life – how dare you X( – you jumped up self centered obnoxious toe rag ~X( – do you realise that the every forum infrastructure on the internet will fall apart at the seams if people start being nice to each other :”( – what you are proposing beggars belief and you ought to be shot/eviscerated/be dangled by a piece of dental floss tied around you testicles until you plead for forgiveness – people like you are worse than Hitler.
Whatever happened to the
Whatever happened to the ability to exercise judgment ? Why the survey respondents think a change in law is going to make the difference utterly baffles me ! If you think mandatory helmets “are the clincher” in terms of deciding to send your nippers out on bikes you:
A) have no idea what little protection they provide
B) have no idea about the causes of most cycling accidents
C) probably have no intention of getting your children out on bikes in the first place.
Excellent post
Excellent post Belaroo.
Excellent parent!
BUT, it would be nice to stay here and fight the good fight with us.
“[…] kids’ bikes need a
“[…] kids’ bikes need a tune up more often than they currently receive with only a quarter (24 per cent) having an annual MOT and safety check.”
I wonder how the question was phrased, that produced this answer? Was it simply “do you have an annual safety check?”
My answer to this question would be no, of course not. And why? Because checking the mechanical state of a bike – your own or your kids – should not wait such an incredibly long time.
And that answer may be the one that many respondents gave; but the survey results imply that no maintenance is happening.
Badly worded surveys…
Couldn’t agree more.
About 38
Couldn’t agree more.
About 38 years ago I got into bike riding and a couple of weeks later racing and have had a string of bikes ever since. At the moment I have four bikes (road, touring, MTB and folding) and have previopusly had track and motorpaced bikes. My road bike is around 30 years old and my MTB over 20.
None of my bikes, nor my children’s bikes, has ever had an anual check or service and never will, because like very many cyclists I check and adjust them far more frequently.
I was out earlier supporting
I was out earlier supporting some of our riders in the 24 hour TT. A father/son duo rode through the other way. The (small) kid did have a helmet on but positioned only to protect the back of the head. Had the child fallen on his face (common) then his forehead would’ve definitely hit the ground first. But I suppose that technically he was wearing a helmet.
I do ask that my son (14) wears a helmet most of the time – rare exceptions include when he’s testing out his fettling in our quiet residential road. I wear a helmet most of the time unless I’m riding with people I trust not to do stupid stuff. We don’t need legislation we need education. Or common sense – which appears not to be that common.
“So I won’t be buying a frog
“So I won’t be buying a frog bike any time soon then.” .. and similar sentiments ..
Aren’t Frog simply highlighting the responses received and putting it up for discussion? I’d be concerned about 85% believing in compulsion rather than common sense and freedom and raising that as a topic, asking why etc, is not a bad thing.
It’s an endless debate but the response is a fair reflection of the current perceptions held by parents.
james-o wrote:”So I won’t be
Exactly mate.
Aren’t Frog simply
Ha ha. I look forward to their follow-up survey on “should women be allowed to ride bikes?” and “should must cyclists be banned from the public roads for their own good” along with the burning question “should cyclists be made to pay Road Tax, just like the rest of us?”.
Ush wrote:
Aren’t Frog
Yes, clearly they’ve set up a bike company purely as a front for creating marketing surveys to push a sinister political agenda on niche interest websites. It’s pretty obvious if you think about it.
joemmo wrote:Ush
And apparently you don’t have to be clever or have to get the point in order to be sarcastic.
Ush wrote:joemmo wrote:Ush
And so easy to grasp the wrong end of the stick isn’t it ?
Note that BikeRadar didn’t even mention the helmet question in their regurgitation of this press release but if there’s one thing road.cc loves it’s a good old chin wag about bike hats.
One small problem. Children
One small problem. Children under the age of 10 cannot commit a criminal offence. How would you enforce it? Not to mention the complete waste of time of police chasing kids trying to persuade them to wear one.
The fact that it’s probably a good idea doesn’t mean that you need a law to encourage it. The law should stay out of this one.
Just because the parents
Just because the parents questioned may not be regular posters on forums about helmet compulsion doesn’t mean they don’t know – or haven’t considered – the implications of a law.
And just because they hold a different view to you does not make their view invalid and being parents makes them pretty important stakeholders in matters concerning safety of their children.
That said, its a bad, unworkable, idea!
700c wrote: being parents
Well, if they were asking for a law that only applied to their children I doubt anyone would object!
700c wrote:Just because the
So what is stopping them imposing helmet wearing on their own children? Why the need to try to impose laws on those of us who are not their children?
oldstrath wrote:700c
So what is stopping them imposing helmet wearing on their own children? Why the need to try to impose laws on those of us who are not their children?— 700c
They were asked a question, simple and they gave an answer. These parents are not starting a petition to get the law changed however if they were i would gladly sign it even if it just upset some of the pretentious muppets on this forum.
stumps wrote:
They were asked
Fine. So simply put, what was the wording of the question? And where can I find the survey data? Because I can’t find the info on the frog website, and their twitter feed just points to the bikeradar article.
If they’d had the decency to explain the details themselves then my pitchfork might have been shelved…
And stumps, thanks for being honest that you want to use the law to force my kids to behave a certain way, despite a lack of evidence of any benefit to that behaviour, because you think I’m a “pretentious muppet”. Nice.
stumps wrote:
They were asked
Stumps, have you stopped raping cats yet? Please tick yes or no. A simple question m’lud, yet the defendant refuses to answer it.
Numpty.
Ush wrote:stumps wrote:
They
haha lush keeping it coming matey, it never ceases to amaze me how some people have to stoop so low as to try and make a forum user look stupid because they didnt like what was posted. =))
Also pmanc – i never called you a pretentious muppet i said some on the forum were which is completely different. As for the law – should i disregard it because i dont agree with some of it ???????????
700c wrote:Just because the
I suspect that very few people properly consider the implications of such a law.
The simple gut response is “Children. More safety. Good”.
The argument that such a law may actually cause greater harm than good (as it has in other countries) is much more nuanced and is easily overlooked, or simply dismissed as the mad ramblings of some anti-helmet lunatic who wants to kill our children. :/
Not many helmets worn in
Not many helmets worn in Groningen (did make me shudder a bit)… http://bit.ly/1lJLNTf When I first cycled in London (30+ years ago) I felt the need for a smog mask before a helmet..
My kids wear cycle helmets
My kids wear cycle helmets when they’re racing, tho my oldest doesn’t do that much any more. My youngest wears a lid when he’s at the skatepark with me too. Messing up a jump on a concrete ramp really hurts.
They don’t wear helmets for riding on the road.
Am I being naive, stupid, or
Am I being naive, stupid, or what ?
Surely if it’s true what was mentioned earlier, that kids under 11 cannot break the law as far as our judicial system is concerned,
then all talk of a law to enforce helmet wearing amongst them is just a waste of time.
cisgil23 wrote:…kids under
In theory I think they could just fine/prosecute the parents or responsible adults. Like truancy.
In practise it wouldn’t really be enforced much, but would be used as another way to ensure that dangerous drivers are not prosecuted fully and that insurers can wangle out of claims.
if you poke around the frog
if you poke around the frog website and blog you can find the link to the questionnaire and the actual questions asked
http://voxpopuk.com/survey/?survey=5c71043
the helmet compulsion question is a straight yes /no
the road.cc article states the poll had 1000 responses but doesn’t indicate if this was a representative survey – for lots of surveys (not polls) a sample of 1000 is a pretty credible number so that adds some weight to the headline
Went and looked for the survey because this surprised me:
“with only one in five (22 per cent) saying the roads were too dangerous to allow their child to cycle more often.”
and if you look at the survey this is a pretty open response question – if you took that figure then kids being able to cycle to the shops / school / sports venues / friends on their isn’t a problem for parents?
footnote
for me helmet not essential – if riding to school / shops but no jumps / hops or manuals allowed
riding on own – no. just too many drivers in a hurry