The tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury sustained while skiing has reignited the contentious issue of helmet use in skiing, cycling and sport in general.
The 45-year-old actress, the wife of Liam Neeson, was not wearing a helmet when she had her accident during a skiing lesson on a beginner slope in Qebec, Canada. Although the accident initially seemed innocuous, her condition quickly deteriorated and she later died in a New York hospital.
During a discussion on Radio 5 Live today Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway, the brain injury association, widened the debate from skiing to other sports, including cycling, telling host Nicky Campbell: “I cycle regularly. I would never cycle without a helmet. If I were a skier, if my children were going off skiing I’d beg them to wear a helmet and that’s because I know just how easy it is to damage that most precious part of you". You can listen to the discussion clip here.
The arguments for and against wearing a helmet are well documented. As reported by road.cc, the debate was given a new angle recently when a High Court judge ruled that cyclists could be open to “contributory negligence” claims in cases where a helmet would have made a difference to their injuries.
The comments were made in the case of Smith v Finch, the full judgement of which the CTC has helpfully reproduced here.
The CTC stands by its long-held view that helmet use should remain a decision for the individual, quoting the following points:
• Cycling is no more risky than lots of other routine activities. You are more likely to be killed in a mile of walking than a mile of cycling.
• Cycling is more likely to do you good than harm and studies from Australia and New Zealand show that enforcing the wearing of helmets leads to a drop in cycling levels.
A statement posted today on its website concludes: “We don’t want anything to put people off cycling – not just because it’s healthy, but also because there is clear evidence that the more people who cycle, the safer it gets for each individual cyclist.
“We recognise that some people choose to wear a helmet for their own personal reasons, and we will always support a person’s right to make that choice.”
For a full appraisal of the information and research surrounding cycling helmets follow this link to the Helmets page of the CTC website.
On the London horses, and how they are startled by noise, I'm interested that the conversation has been about banning horses from London, rather...
Well I agree we're constantly paving paradise essentially because we all want to live longer and don't want to share our space. Same in my city of...
Ex black cab https://twitter.com/KingArtAT/status/1783296299787309088
It isn't about policing the roads, it is about reducing the likely hood of a dangerous overtake, in this case the taxi driver choose not to expose...
Quite. I was wondering where the cycling infrastructure is located that causes drivers to go 90 on the M3?
If one is prepared to pay £28 for a TPU tube, the butyl comparison should be Continental's Supersonic ~50g or Schwalbe at 70g. Both costing £8 - ...
I'd buy that for a dollar.
Media needs to do their part, but the readr/consumer also needs to do theirs as well:...
Kona makes practical, affordable commuter bikes and goes bust. Colnago makes toys for the affluent and it is booming. Just goes to show that the...
To answer your question, yes you can sometimes feel the difference. Built a set of wheels for a friend and he installed them with new lightweight...