Original Message 1/5                 Date: 14-Sep-06  @  05:11 PM   -   Cyclists in helmets at greater risk

k

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well well, i as a longtime cyclist and motorcyclist always refused a helmet because of imparments to peripheral vision and audible signals (in a full face style crash helmet)


but now it appears there is more... any of you out there cycling, check this out.







Drivers pass closer when overtaking cyclists wearing helmets than when overtaking bare-headed cyclists, increasing the risk of a collision, the research has found.

Dr Ian Walker, a traffic psychologist from the University of Bath in the UK, used a bicycle fitted with a computer and an ultrasonic distance sensor to record data from over 2,500 overtaking motorists in Salisbury and Bristol.

Dr Walker, who was struck by a bus and a truck in the course of the experiment, spent half the time wearing a cycle helmet and half the time bare-headed. He was wearing the helmet both times he was struck. He found that drivers were as much as twice as likely to get particularly close to the bicycle when he was wearing the helmet. Across the board, drivers passed an average of 8.5 cm (3 1/3 inches) closer with the helmet than without"

This study shows that when drivers overtake a cyclist, the margin for error they leave is affected by the cyclist's appearance," said Dr Walker, from the University's Department of Psychology. By leaving the cyclist less room, drivers reduce the safety margin that cyclists need to deal with obstacles in the road, such as drain covers and potholes, as well as the margin for error in their own judgements. We know helmets are useful in low-speed falls, and so definitely good for children, but whether they offer any real protection to somebody struck by a car is very controversial. Either way, this study suggests wearing a helmet might make a collision more likely in the first place."

Dr Walker suggests the reason drivers give less room to cyclists wearing helmets is down to how cyclists are perceived as a group.

"We know from research that many drivers see cyclists as a separate subculture, to which they don't belong," said Dr Walker.

"As a result they hold stereotyped ideas about cyclists, often judging all riders by the yardstick of the lycra-clad street-warrior. This may lead drivers to believe cyclists with helmets are more serious, experienced and predictable than those without.

"The idea that helmeted cyclists are more experienced and less likely to do something unexpected would explain why drivers leave less space when passing. In reality, there is no real reason to believe someone with a helmet is any more experienced than someone without.

"The best answer is for different types of road user to understand each other better.

"Most adult cyclists know what it is like to drive a car, but relatively few motorists ride bicycles in traffic, and so don't know the issues cyclists face.

"There should definitely be more information on the needs of other road users when people learn to drive, and practical experience would be even better.

"When people try cycling, they nearly always say it changes the way they treat other road users when they get back in their cars."

The study also found that large vehicles, such as buses and trucks, passed considerably closer when overtaking cyclists than cars. The average car passed 1.33 metres (4.4 feet) away from the bicycle, whereas the average truck got 19 centimetres (7.5 inches) closer and the average bus 23 centimetres (9 inches) closer. However, there was no evidence of 4x4s (SUVs) getting any closer than ordinary cars. Previously reported research from the project showed that drivers of white vans overtake cyclists an average 10 centimetres (4 inches) closer than car drivers.

To test another theory, Dr Walker donned a long wig to see whether there was any difference in passing distance when drivers thought they were overtaking what appeared to be a female cyclist. Whilst wearing the wig, drivers gave him an average of 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) more space when passing.

In future research, Dr Walker hopes to discover whether this was because female riders are seen as less predictable than male riders, or because women are not seen riding bicycles as often as men on the UK's roads.
Factfile

11,257 adult cyclists were injured and 109 killed on the UK's roads in 2004, the latest year for which figures are available. However, for each bicycle accident officially recorded there are as many as 14 more which do not go on police records, and so the number injured is certainly an under-estimate. Being struck by an overtaking car is arguably the most dangerous form of collision for a cyclist, with a particularly high mortality rate. .

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I had an idea for a script once. It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws, they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws. The guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws.... I call it... Big Jaws!!!

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Message 2/5                 Date: 14-Sep-06  @  09:40 PM   -   RE: Cyclists in helmets at greater risk

Zazza

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Nothing that some fake tits and a granny wig can't cure..

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Message 3/5                 Date: 17-Sep-06  @  11:24 PM   -   RE: Cyclists in helmets at greater risk

Jock Munro

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I've always paid attention to cyclists/motorcyclists when I've been driving. Its nice when you get an acknowledgement off a biker when you give them space and allow them to pass. Never have a problem with them.

But what really bugs me is the fucking cyclists in London who dodge red lights, when your a pedestrian trying to cross the road, and some cunt on a bike does the lights and misses you by inches. I've now decided to stand there and block their way. Fuck em. They dont even pay road tax, they arent registered. You have no come back if they plough into you, no registration number to take down to report to the pigs. I'm all for people getting on their bikes, the more the better, but its the cunts that mount pavements, run red lights and whatever, they fucking deserve to die.

I would also agree that wearing a helmet would fuck up your sensory perception and lull you into a false sense of security.

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Message 4/5                 Date: 21-Oct-06  @  07:52 PM   -   RE: Cyclists in helmets at greater risk

darin

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Great - after the HUNDREDS of miles I've put on my bike this summer, this is great news...

Agreed Jock - some cyclists just ruin it for the rest of us who follow traffic laws, and wait at red lights.

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Message 5/5                 Date: 22-Oct-06  @  05:35 PM   -   RE: Cyclists in helmets at greater risk

sitar

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Agreed Jock. I had a green light and saw a bike coming. I intentionally crossed knowing the cyclist would have to yield. After passing the cyclist looked back and yelled "Why? Because I'm a girl?" I yelled back "No because you're going through a red light!". Honestly I had no idea it was a female until she was right on top of me as she was wearing a helmut and coming fast from a distance on a 10-speed.

I don't know k. I loved wearing snell approved helmuts in my biking days. They made up for the low fairing on the bike. But I can see the guys point.

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