The last thing I remember before my bike ploughed into that van on New Year’s Eve 2016 was feeling cold. The next thing I remember was vomiting with concussion. I don’t know whose fault the accident was and the doctor told me it was thanks to my bike helmet I ended up in A&E and not the morgue.
But perhaps this was not the case. According to Dr. Henry Marsh, a neurosurgeon at St. George's Hospital in London, many cycling helmets are simply "too flimsy." He points out that there has been no reduction in bike injuries in countries where helmets are compulsory. In fact, more worryingly, he has cited a study by the University of Bath which calculated that when drivers see a cyclist in a helmet they assume they are safer. “Logic then propels them to drive 3 inches closer to these cyclists, hence enhancing the possibility of accidents.”
This really got me thinking. As someone who cycles around 150 miles a week, would I actually be safer riding without a helmet? According to The Department for Transport around 70% of non-cycling Britons believe our roads are too dangerous to cycle on and over half of cyclists share this view. In 2015 across the UK 100 cyclists were killed and more than 3,000 were seriously injured. The figures for 2016 look set to be worse.
Perhaps a campaign publicising the 3 inches statistic might draw attention to how vulnerable we cyclists really are.
Zak Stucke Hampton School
