Olympic Medalists and Cycle Helmets

Yesterday, near the Olympic park there was a horrific incident in which a cyclist was killed in a collision with a bus. With all the high profile and positive cycling news of the last two weeks; a British Tour de France win, medals won in the Olympic womens road race, and mens time trial, so obviously the media asked gold medallist and TdF champion Bradley Wiggins for his views. Sadly, possibly caught off guard or on the spot, he gave an answer which has the potential to do irreparable damage to cycling in the UK. Instead of saying, "I don't know the facts of the incident, so I wouldn't be able to comment", Wiggo instead said,

Ultimately, if you get knocked off and you don’t have a helmet on, then you can’t argue. You can get killed if you don’t have a helmet on. You shouldn’t be riding along with iPods and phones and things on. You have lights on. Once there are laws passed for cyclists then you are protected and you can say, ‘well, I have done everything to be safe. It is dangerous and London is a busy city. There is a lot of traffic. I think we have to help ourselves sometimes.

In the case in question I'm assuming Wiggo was not in full possession of the facts. The cyclist who was killed allegedly passed a bus on the inside - when that bus was preparing to turn left - and was dragged under its wheels when it turned. No helmet in the world would have saved that poor young man's life. A Reddit user - in what makes for grim reading - claiming they were an eye-witness, said:

As I was cycling home from work tonight a guy, maybe in his late 20's, was cycling level with me and as we approached a bus he went inside while I held back. The lights changed as he was in the buses blind spot and as he was attempting to go straight the bus turned left. He didn't really have anywhere to go and no time to do anything anyway... he got pulled under the wheel and dragged around 10 feet or so. As soon as the bus was definitely stopped i crawled under to him from the other side and i was immediately aware that i didn't think he'd make it. The tire had gone over him on his lower half i think and he was tangled in the machinery underneath the bus. I crawled up to him and tried to talk to him. I asked him his name and told him he was going to be alright. He didn't say anything because i don't think he could, but he looked straight at me. I did my best to look him straight in the eyes and tell him he was going to be ok. He was so afraid. Maybe half a minute later i could tell he'd passed. I waited there for a moment and then crawled back out. I spoke to the authorities that had arrived and after a little while i got my bike and cycled home. It is so dangerous out there guys. But for a single choice that poor guy would have made it home tonight. Don't skip at lights when they look clear, don't try to squeeze past heavy vehicles to save a few seconds. Never be afraid to live your life to the fullest, but be careful and be aware of the dangers around you. Be safe everyone.

So it is clear from that chilling account a helmet would have made very little, if any, difference to this awful incident. Unfortunately - because someone as high profile in cycling as Wiggo said it - the British media won't understand that a helmet would have made no difference and will engage in their usual gleeful pursuit of any excuse to regulate cyclists off British roads. There will be calls for compulsory helmets and hi-vis, cyclist insurance, cycle registration etc. interviews with people on the street saying 'Yes they should wear helmets…' (why is it always non-cyclists who are the strongest advocates of helmets etc?).
 None of which will make cycling in the UK any safer. Because they do not address the core problem of a woefully inadequate cycle infrastructure and a road culture where cars rule above all else. The answer is not more and more restriction of cyclists, the answer is better road infrastructure, and better driver - and cyclist - training in awareness of vulnerable road users and large vehicles respectively.

Cycle helmet compulsion is bad for cycling and bad for a nations health generally, because it discourages cycling by creating a false perception of cycling as a 'dangerous' activity when it is actually extremely safe, thus reducing cyclist numbers which in turn makes the roads more dangerous for cyclists because fewer drivers also cycle and are less cycle aware. Compulsion also increases national health costs through increases to obesity, cardio-vascular disease, and diabetes rates through lack of exercise in the young who are put off cycling for reasons given in the next paragraph.

In 1990 Australia introduced a mandatory cycle helmet law. Overnight cycling numbers reduced by over 30%, and over 90% of children who cycled to school stopped doing so. There has been a knock-on cost to the Australian health system with an increase in obesity, cardio-vascular disease, and diabetes., and cycle deaths and injuries have not reduced. More than 25% of Australians are now obese.

It is no coincidence that the countries with the lowest obesity rates, lowest fatality rates and the safest cycling in the world are also the countries with no helmet compulsion, better road infrastructure, and presumed liability: the Netherlands and Denmark. There is a reason the UK's largest cycling charity - the CTC - are opposed to compulsory helmets.

I have been cycling on British roads for over forty years, and as great an athlete as he is, Wiggo couldn't be more wrong on helmets and cyclist safety. I can understand, given the kind of cycling he partakes in and the possibility of him suffering a fall, why he would think helmets are a good idea, but him saying all cyclists should wear them is like hearing Lewis Hamilton say all drivers should wear flameproof suits and helmets because they are worn in F1.

Cycle helmets should absolutely not be compulsory, they should remain an individual choice.

But most importantly let's not lose sight that a young man lost his life in awful circumstances. My sincerest condolences go to his family and friends. RIP.