Far from being laughable, the absurd Japanese suggestion
that schoolchildren should be compelled wear helmets when
walking to school in fact opens up new possibilities.
Might it not be an idea for instance, for "sensible" people
to start writing letters to the newspapers such as the
Reading Post, insisting that all schoolchildren should be
compelled to wear helmets when walking to school? Based on
the Japanese study.
It might also be the case that many deaths from the more
common types of accidents are cause by head injuries.* Such
as falling down the stairs. So that possibly if most of the
people who die by falling down the stairs had been wearing
helmets, many or most of them need not have dies. In fact
given impact speeds etc its likly that helmets might have
been more effective in such situations in preventing death,
than in the case of bikes.
So possibly there should be someone out there campaigning
for, for instance, compulsory helmets for stairs users etc.
- but all based on unimpeachable statistics.
Rather than simply trying to meet stupidity and wilful
ignorance with reason, and playing the idiots at their own
game, maybe its also possible to go along with them and show
them the ultimate absurdity of what they're suggesting. Show
why compulsory helmet wearing would in effect benefit almost
everyone anyone in danger of banging their head - (car
drivers and passengers we already know about) and often to a
fair greater extent than in the case of cyclists.
But obviously the people suggesting this, should have no
connection with cycling. As indeed they shoudn't need to
have. Passing stupid laws as a sop to popular prejudice - as
a non dog owning anti gun person the dangerous dogs and hand
gun legislation immediiately spring to mind - should be
resisted on principle anyway.
Curious
* i.e this is pure conjecture. This whole area of primary
cause of death being controversial in itself. i.e the
cyclist's lower body was crushed by the vehicle but the
cause of death was massive cerebreal bleeding.