Recommended Reading: The Cult of Bike Helmets
Bike helmet laws have got to go. The laws are disproportionately enforced and they discourage biking, which in turn makes biking more dangerous as drivers pay better attention when there are more cyclists on the road. But, they’re a great way to place blame. It’s not the lack of infrastructure ad that vehicles are monstrously huge and heavy that got that cyclist killed. It’s that they weren’t wearing a helmet…
When it comes to the dangers threatening cyclists, wearing a helmet is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. America’s top-selling vehicle model, the Ford F-Series, weighs up to 7,500 pounds. Its hood stands 4.5 feet tall—at the height of my chin. The fear that I feel biking in cities isn’t actually a fear of biking; it’s a fear of cars. Only a suite of infrastructure changes can combat the deadliest risk to cyclists. Not helmets alone.
Read more at Slate
